Business Wire

CA-VISA-INC.

11.5.2021 13:02:10 CEST | Business Wire | Press release

Share
Tap to Ride! Monterey-Salinas Transit Becomes 1st in California to Offer Riders the Ability to Tap to Pay with Visa

Today, in collaboration with Visa, Caltrans, Cybersource, Littlepay, and SC Soft, Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST) became the first transit agency in California to offer bus riders a contactless payment option. As cities begin to reopen, public transportation will play a critical role in recovery, and contactless payments can help provide a safe and easy experience for riders and transit operators seeking limited physical touchpoints and interactions. MST riders can now simply tap their contactless credit, debit, prepaid card or payment-enabled device on readers in MST buses for an easy and secure way to travel, without needing to purchase or load a separate transit card or handle cash while boarding.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210511005504/en/

Visa research shows that enabling tap to pay on transit systems like these can be good for economic recovery, bringing more than a 15% lift in transactions from merchants in surrounding neighborhoods1 . MST is the fifth transit agency in the U.S. to accept tap to pay for fares, following Chicago, Miami, New York and Portland, OR. MST is also the first public transit system in the country that is located outside of a large urban area to introduce tap to pay fares – demonstrating contactless payments as a good fit for any size agency looking to enhance the customer experience.

“Visa recognizes the importance of expanding eligibility and access to fare payment options that meet the needs of a diverse set of transit riders,” said Brian Cole, SVP and head of North America product, Visa. “This effort with MST and Caltrans illustrates how open, contactless payments can support innovative and equitable fare policies to benefit riders and transit operators across the state.”

MST riders who tap will benefit from “fare capping” ensuring riders won’t pay more than $10.00 per day—as long as they pay with the same card or mobile wallet throughout the day. The tap to pay option on MST’s entire bus fleet is the first contactless payment demonstration of the California Integrated Travel Project (Cal-ITP), a Caltrans-led initiative to make travel simpler and more cost-effective for the 40 million California residents, served by 300-plus transit agencies, who collectively take approximately 1.3 billion2 passenger trips annually.

“We are committed to serving all of our riders and delivering new methods of ease and convenience,” said Carl Sedoryk, general manager and CEO, Monterey-Salinas Transit. “The availability of a contactless fare payment system means increased flexibility, and we are thrilled to be collaborating with Visa and Caltrans to bring the enhanced convenience and safety benefits of tap to pay to our community.”

Bringing the MST Demonstration to Life

Cybersource, a Visa solution, Littlepay, a transit-focused payments platform, and SC Soft, a transit ticketing and Automated Fare Collection specialist, have been critical in bringing the MST demonstration to life. Cybersource’s platform is powering the fast-to-market deployment of contactless solutions in the mass transit space, providing a full suite of payment and fraud management tools and an extensive network of partners and acquirers. Cybersource offers brand agnostic transit compliant processing solutions and enables easier implementation of digital payments for operators, while helping protect against fraud. Littlepay provides mass transit transaction processing, including the ability to cap fares and guarantee the best-value fare for frequent riders. SC Soft is a system integrator specializing in ticketing & Automated Fare Collection solutions for transit agencies around the world.

“Cybersource looks forward to supporting Cal-ITP partners to improve transit access within communities throughout the state,” said Fernando Souza, Vice President, Cybersource. “There is a great sense of urgency among transit operators to adopt these solutions and we are committed to powering secure, seamless contactless solutions in a world where no contact, touchless experiences are here to stay.”

“Removing barriers to transit ridership underscores what Cal-ITP is all about, and the launch of this contactless payment demonstration represents a significant step toward a simpler and more equitable public transit system throughout California,” said Caltrans Director Toks Omishakin.

Adoption of contactless payments continues to grow in the U.S. as more consumers realize they can pay for the things they need with a simple and secure tap. In the US, one in 10 face to face Visa transactions are now done with a tap, more than a 2x increase since the beginning of the pandemic, showcasing increased consumer preference for fast, touch-free payment experiences.

About Visa Inc.

Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is the world’s leader in digital payments. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable, and secure payment network - enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. Our advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable payments around the world and is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second. The company’s relentless focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid growth of connected commerce on any device, and a driving force behind the dream of a cashless future for everyone, everywhere. As the world moves from analog to digital, Visa is applying our brand, products, people, network and scale to reshape the future of commerce. For more information, visit About Visa , Visa’s Blog and @VisaNews .

__________

1 Visa Q2 FY21 Earnings Transcript
2 Caltrans , FY2018-2019

About Business Wire

Business Wire
Business Wire
101 California Street, 20th Floor
CA 94111 San Francisco

http://businesswire.com

Subscribe to releases from Business Wire

Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Latest releases from Business Wire

Riskified Named to the CNBC World's Top Fintech Companies 2026 List23.7.2026 14:00:00 CEST | Press release

Payment category recognition marks Riskified's continued presence among the world's leading fintech innovators Riskified (NYSE: RSKD), a global leader in ecommerce fraud detection and risk intelligence, has been named to CNBC's World's Top Fintech Companies 2026 list, in the Payments category. The list, now in its fourth edition, is produced by CNBC in partnership with Statista Inc., the global statistics and industry ranking firm. It was announced on July 22, 2026, and is available on CNBC's website. This is Riskified's second time making the list. The company previously earned this recognition in 2024, reinforcing its position in the ecommerce fraud and risk intelligence sector and underscoring its ongoing success in empowering businesses to grow revenue and profitability by mitigating risk through its AI-powered platform. CNBC and Statista's ranking covers the top 500 companies across eight fintech segments — Payments, Neobanking, Alternative Financing, Wealth Technology, Digital As

Azafaros Completes Enrollment of Phase 3 (NAVIGATE) Study Evaluating Nizubaglustat for the Treatment of Patients with GM1/GM2 Gangliosidoses23.7.2026 13:00:00 CEST | Press release

NAVIGATE comprises two pivotal Phase 3 studies investigating nizubaglustatRecruitment completed in Phase 3 registrational study in patients with late-infantile and juvenile GM1/GM2 gangliosidosesEnrollment in Niemann-Pick type C disease (NPC) Phase 3 study is ongoingTopline data from GM1/GM2 gangliosidoses Phase 3 study is anticipated in early 2028 Azafaros, a private company building a portfolio of disease-modifying therapeuticsto become a leader in lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs) focused on addressing neurological symptoms, today announced the completion of patient recruitment in its Phase 3 study evaluating nizubaglustat for the treatment of GM1/GM2 gangliosidoses. “Completing enrollment in our Phase 3 GM1/GM2 study is a significant step toward potentially bringing nizubaglustat to patients and families living with these devastating neurodegenerative diseases," said Stefano Portolano, Chief Executive Officer at Azafaros. "We are deeply grateful to the patients, caregivers, invest

Francisco Partners Closes $21 Billion Across Flagship and Agility Funds23.7.2026 13:00:00 CEST | Press release

Largest fundraise in the firm’s history brings total capital raised to more than $75 billion Francisco Partners (“FP”), a leading global investment firm that specializes in partnering with technology companies, today announced the closing of $21 billion in capital commitments across its Francisco Partners VIII, L.P. flagship fund and Francisco Partners Agility IV, L.P., its middle-market fund. FP exceeded its initial targets of $14.0 billion and $3.5 billion, respectively. This milestone builds on Francisco Partners' longstanding track record of performance, underscored by its distinction as the only firm to rank among the top three performers in each of the past six HEC-Dow Jones Large Buyout Performance Rankings.* “In our business, long-term success is created through a series of relationships built on years of trust and collaboration," said Dipanjan (“DJ”) Deb, Co-Founder and CEO of Francisco Partners. "We want to thank our investors for their support, our management teams for their

Taiwanese ensembles showcase erhu and ocarina at Prague Folklore Days23.7.2026 10:21:00 CEST | Press release

The Prague Folklore Days 2026 was held on July 17 and 18 in the heart of Prague, bringing together 56 international arts groups from Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Spain, the Netherlands, and Poland. Four Taiwanese groups took part: Hildebrand Yu’s ocarina band, the Shi-xian Huqin Orchestra, the Taipei Folk Orchestra, and the Four Strings Ensemble. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260722841530/en/ Taiwanese ensembles showcase erhu and ocarina at Prague Folklore Days Led by Huang Chun-sin, the official Taiwan representative band featured a diverse lineup of ocarina, erhu, and dance performers. Their program stood out among the European groups with its distinctive character and vivid stage presence. Hildebrand Yu’s ocarina band captivated audiences with warm, uplifting melodies accompanied by the ocarina and ukulele. Yu also performed “Twilight Waltz,” delivering a heartfelt piece of poetic expression, like sunlight

Taiwan Children’s Choirs Garner Major Awards at Hungarian Choral Competition23.7.2026 09:33:00 CEST | Press release

Competing against 36 leading contenders from 20 countries, four Taiwanese children’s choirs have garnered several major awards and top honors at the 5th Budapest International Choral Celebration, showcasing Taiwan’s cultural diversity and music excellence. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260722613876/en/ Puzangalan Children’s Choir and Yo Wu Wei Children’s Chorus join forces with international choral ensembles and orchestras to perform Mozart’s Requiem Mass in D minor, K. 626 at the Béla Bartók National Concert Hall of Müpa Budapest. With its pure, angelic voices and exceptional vocal techniques, Puzangalan Children’s Choir from Pingtung County won the top prize, Laurea Summa Cum Laude, in the Grand Prix Competition’s Youth Choir of Equal Voices, Folklore, and Sacred Music categories. In the Open Competition, Yo Wu Wei Children’s Chorus claimed three gold prizes in the categories of Youth Choir of Equal Voices

In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.

Visit our pressroom
World GlobeA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.HiddenA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.Eye