Miami Spends Millions to Bring Cloud to Public Transport

Miami-Dade County’s Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW) has announced that it will spend $33 million to modernize its EASY Card revenue management system, with the help of Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS), part of Cubic Corporation.

This systems enhancement project will be a significant technology refresh and expansion of customer services, the DTPW said. The project includes Cubic’s contactless bankcard and NFC mobile open payment system, as well as upgrades to fare terminals and the EASY Card back office to process account-based transactions for new and easy ways to pay. The upgrades are designed to enhance the existing system, which was put in place with Cubic’s help in 2009, and ease operations for the 300,000 average daily boarders on Metrobus, Metrorail, Metromover and Special Transportation Service.

These payment technologies will draw from systems Cubic has installed in Chicago and London and bring DTPW to the forefront of IoT and cloud-based transit technology. In collaboration with Passport, the system will pair with a new mobile app that gives riders features and tools, including EASY Card balance checking, viewing account history, account management and fare product purchases for loading to their EASY Cards.

“Seamless travel remains a priority for the Department of Transportation and Public Works, and what this project with Cubic will deliver are options to enrich the traveler experience through open and mobile payments, as well as moving back office operations from us to Cubic – giving our agency the ability to focus on our core mission of creating a full range of well-synchronized mobility services within our community,” said Alice N. Bravo, P.E., director of DTPW. “It’s important for our transit system to incorporate the latest technologies, so this agreement represents another way that we are moving forward into the future of transportation. Our customers will be able to take advantage of a progressively broader range of service enhancements as they roll out in stages over the course of the next eight to 18 months.”