Delerrok Launches TouchPass: Electronic Fare Collection as a Service
Delerrok Inc. has announced the launch of TouchPass, cloud-based electronic fare collection offered as a subscription service. Delerrok has proven the technology behind TouchPass in Medford, Oregon, where the Rogue Valley Transportation District (RVTD) deployed the service in October after a successful trial on all its buses. "TouchPass has performed exceptionally, and we were delighted to see adoption grow to about one of every three boardings in such a short time," said RVTD General Manager Julie Brown. Using what Delerrok described as "the world's most advanced electronic fare collection (EFC) solution," Delerrok aims to make EFC, until now affordable to only large transit agencies, available to all agencies, regardless of size or budget. "Despite the impact of digital technologies on our lives, over 70 percent of North American agencies remain mired in the analog world of coins, tokens, paper passes and transfer slips," noted Delerrok CEO Bob Hamilton. "TouchPass puts state-of-the-art EFC within the reach of every one of these agencies." Hamilton is one of the three transit industry leaders that cofounded Delerrok in 2012. They are now ready to give agencies the tools they need to make riding easier for passengers in the digital age of ride-sharing apps. Drawing on advances in device, cloud and network technologies, TouchPass provides all the features of the largest fare systems and more. Passengers can purchase fare products anywhere — on their smartphones, via web browsers or at agency ticket windows and participating merchant locations — and ride using smart cards, a mobile app and even "paper tokens," inexpensive barcode tickets. Large agencies worldwide use smart cards with stored-value to provide the most popular replacement for cash fare payments, and now even the smallest agency can do the same. TouchPass can be configured to any agency's needs in days rather than years, because fare engine algorithms anticipate virtually any fare policy and fare product, eliminating the need for new software development. TouchPass removes the headaches of getting started and allows agencies to implement full-featured EFC with no new staffing or infrastructure. Agencies simply install TouchPass Readers on their buses, configure their systems and pay low monthly fees based on passenger usage. Delerrok provides subscribers with regular enhancements of its cloud-based service at no added cost.
