SEPTA begins testing open loop contactless fare payments

According to a NFCW article, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) has started a pilot program to test an open loop contactless fare payment system that allows passengers to pay for their journeys with their physical or digital credit card. 

The pilot program will see a total of 200 users testing the service on buses, trolleybuses, and subways prior to a wider rollout if the scheme is successful. SEPTA has not offered a definitive timeline for a wide-scale rollout, saying the pilot would continue until the agency was satisfied with the volume of daily transactions and confident that the system is ready to be rolled out for general public use. 

Riders of Regional Rail will have to wait until early 2024 for a contactless payment pilot and eventual rollout. SEPTA set out plans to develop, implement and maintain a multimodal mobile and contactless fare payments system in April.