MARTA moving to MTS

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) has awarded Kapsch TrafficCom AG, whose U.S. operation is based in McLean, Va., a contract worth approximately $11 million for a turnkey regional Mobile Ticketing System (MTS) that will allow MARTA riders to order, pay, and electronically validate tickets using their mobile smart devices via a mobile app as well as directly through the mobile ticketing website.

The MARTA MTS system, which will include customized maintenance and support services, will be delivered through a cooperative effort of sister companies Kapsch TrafficCom AG, Kapsch CarrierCom AG and Kapsch Public TransportCom AG, along with Bytemark, Inc. and TransTrack Systems, Inc. It will enable users to access MARTA’s transit system within Atlanta and surrounding communities. It also will simplify the process of buying and validating fares, enabling users to purchase tickets at their convenience and manage commutes without the need to visit a kiosk. Additionally, patrons can validate fare purchases via electronic validators when entering and exiting buses and unmanned rail stations. The MTS includes the mobile ticketing app and website, a customer service tool for account management, electronic validators and an account-based back-office management and operations system. dashboards and reporting along with maintenance are also included.

MARTA is the ninth-largest public transportationsystem in the U.S., encompassing almost 50 miles of rapid transit rail and more than 1,400 miles of bus routes. Weekday ridership is about 500,000. The MTS will provide mobile ticketing for all of MARTA’s 38 rail stations, 565 fixed route buses and 210 paratransit buses. This project will also allow MARTA’s regional partners the option to participate in mobile ticketing. Those partners include fixed route service for Georgia Regional Transportation Authority and Atlanta Streetcar, as well as fixed route and paratransit service for Gwinnett County Transit and CobbLinc.

MARTA’s award of the contract to Kapsch originated with a competitive pilot program in which participants demonstrated their ability to achieve MARTA’s predefined goals and functionality requirements using their proposed MTS solutions. Kapsch says it “conducted full system testing in a real-world environment and successfully provided evidence that the proposed solution was viable.”

Kapsch TrafficCom describes itself as “a provider of intelligent transportation systems in the fields of tolling, traffic management, smart urban mobility, traffic safety and security, and connected vehicles. As a one-stop solutions provider, Kapsch TrafficCom offers end-to-end solutions covering the entire value creation chain of its customers, from components and design to the implementation and operation of systems. The family-owned company is headquartered in Vienna, Austria and in 2017 celebrated 125 years of successfully developing and implementing new technologies. Part of the Kapsch Group, Kapsch TrafficCom has subsidiaries and branches in more than 30 countries, has been listed in the Prime Market of the Vienna Stock Exchange since 2007 (ticker symbol: KTCG), employs more than 4,800, and generated revenue of approximately US$736 million in fiscal year 2016-2017.