Caltrans selects Enghouse Transportation for integrated travel project

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) selected Enghouse Transportation to participate in the California Integrated Travel Project (Cal-ITP). 

Enghouse Transportation, a provider of transit software solutions in North America, is expanding its offering with the mobile ticketing/fare collection solution. The software is already positioned in this space within the Netherlands, Central Europe and Eastern Europe.  

"Enghouse Transportation brings clear advantages to the table," said Toofan Otaredian, managing director, Enghouse Transportation. "We have the agility to host multiple fare plans and business rules associated with public transit agencies and operators, while our software solution is hardware independent and can seamlessly integrate with other systems. In addition, we offer a short time-to-market implementation to get open-loop payment solutions up and running in a cost-effective manner." 

The California Department of General Services issued a Notice of Intent to Award to Enghouse Transportation to provide software to enable California transit users to pay fares using an open-loop system. The architecture facilitates the use of bank cards and mobile wallets, reducing and eventually eliminating the need for fare cards. 

Enghouse Transportation is one of four firms chosen to provide the back-office solution in the Cal-ITP, which will allow more than 300 transit agencies to procure software solutions through its Mobility Marketplace, which offers transit operators links to a suite of pre-negotiated, code-compliant products. This simplified and coordinated procurement process makes it easier for transit agencies to adopt open-loop technologies. 

The objectives of Cal-ITP include the following: 

An improved rider experience – Research has shown that riders with access to real-time data can shave minutes off their wait times and perceived wait times by as much as 30 percent. Contactless payments make riding transit easier, particularly for out-of-town riders and other users unfamiliar with the transit system. 

More ridership – In London, the Underground saw a four to five percent increase in ridership with the introduction of open-loop payments and real-time arrival data. In Chicago and New York, ridership increased two percent. 

Cost savings for transit providers – In Washington, D.C., the transit operator spends 10 cents per dollar on cash-based fare collections compared to only four cents per dollar on credit/debit card collections.