Universal Ticketing Agent

Open Loop Ticketing You Can Afford

What UniTiAg Is

UniTiAg is a global, cloud-based SaaS infrastructure that revolutionizes open-loop public transit fare collection. It seamlessly integrates with existing transit fare collection (ABT) systems and online marketplaces (TSMP) — platforms that sell transit services.

UniTiAg allows riders to tap their CRD, such as phone apps or cards, and gain access to transit services using a virtual balance (OTRB) without initiating a payment transaction at the transit validator, effectively registering the service, rather than selling tickets in advance.

The TAs (sellers) are get paid (reconciled) by the TSMP for the services they provided. The riders (buyers) pay to the TSMP online for their OTRB refills.

This approach:

  • Eliminates EMV Level 3 card-present compliance costs for TAs,
  • Reduces PCI DSS compliance costs for TAs when payment cards are used as the OTRB identifiers,
  • Eliminates PCI DSS compliance costs for TAs when non-payment CRDs are used,
  • Enhances the overall user experience for TAs, their customers, and marketplaces worldwide,
  • Paves the way to public transit fare collection for non-card-based fare payments, such as stablecoins, cryptocurrency, and direct banking, and for new technologies like UWB.

What UniTiAg Does

UniTiAg facilitates fare payments through riders’ OTRB, enabling TAs to collect fares for the provided services via a common TSMP infrastructure.

Case: Non-cEMV Contactless Rider Device:

Imagine, you want to use a smartphone or a smartwatch where you store your OTRB credentials to gain access to public transit services.

  • You create the OTRB credentials online using an app issued by a TSMP, like Telegram*) Kraken*), or Amazon*).
  • You refill your OTRB via your stablecoin wallet or PayPal account. The variety of choices depends solely on the TSMP’s payment methods options.
  • A few minutes later, you can use this app at any validator of the participating TAs.
  • When your OTRB drops below a certain threshold level, which you set, it is automatically refilled by the TSMP.
  • When you no longer need the OTRB, the TSMP refunds the OTRB amount to your payment method.
Case:  Open-Loop cEMV cards:

This case is applicable to the TAs who already are engaged in costly and complex open-loop transit payment projects.

Imagine, you want to use your contactless Visa, Mastercard, or other credit or debit card to gain access to public transit. This card is already registered as your payment method on your Amazon (Walmart, Facebook, etc.) account*.

  • Using the TSMP app or website, you purchase an Open-To-Ride Balance (OTRB) associated with this card. This is a money value you allocate for spending on public transit rides. Your OTRB is shared across all participating TAs.
  • A few minutes later, you can tap this card at any validator at any validator of the participating TAs.

Compare cost of fare collection here: COFC: UniTiAg Open Loop vs Classic Open Loop.

*) The names of TSMPs are used here purely as examples and do not imply that these organizations participate in the UniTiAg fare collection scheme.

Audience

This site is designed for executives, business development managers, product managers, business analysts, software developers and testers from:

  • Transit operators or agencies (TAs). TA executives should read this page first: Closed Loop for Transit Execs
  • TSMPs
  • Ticketing system vendors providing software, hardware, and services to TAs.
  • Smartphone wallet and payment solution providers.
  • UWB vendors.

The site highlights the key benefits of UniTiAg and provides implementation guidance for these stakeholders.

Value Proposition for Two-Sided Marketplaces

By integrating the UniTiAg platform, you will:

  • Acquire additional online shoppers (transit riders): Expand your customer base by offering access to transit services through your online marketplace.
  • Acquire additional online sellers (TAs): Onboard TAs as sellers, offering their services via your marketplace.
  • Increase float: Utilize the funds generated from prepaid OTRBs that haven’t been reconciled yet.

Explore our TSMP mockup, AmuzeBuy to see how your TSMP can expand into transit services.

Value Proposition for Ticketing System Vendors

By integrating the UniTiAg platform, you will increase sales of your systems and services, because you will:

  • Provide more efficient open-loop solutions for Transit Agencies (see Value Proposition for TAs below).
  • Provide a seamless transition from closed-loop and classic open-loop models to UniTiAg model, allowing TAs to continue using their existing validation devices and fare policies.
  • Enhance your open-loop solutions by implementing non-cEMV CRD technologies and non-card-based online payments tools.

Explore our PCI DSS-free Bye-Bye Cards Android app and its seamless cEMV-like communication with a card-reader.  

Explore our TSMP mockup, AmuzeBuy, our validator mockup, and try our simple APIs, to discover how you can offer even better services to your TA-customers.

Value Proposition for Transit Agencies

By integrating the UniTiAg platform with your ABT systems, you will:

  • Reduce the cost of fare collection in open-loop ticketing.
  • Accelerate time to market.
  • Reduce or eliminate the closed-loop cards.
  • Include underbanked and unbanked customers.
  • Satisfy your municipal constituency.
  • Redefine and widen your open-loop ticketing with UWB and other non-cEMV CRDs.

Many Transit Agencies (TAs) are piloting open-loop ABT or AFC systems to reduce cash management costs and simplify access to services. However, these projects often face low adoption rates and high implementation costs. Implementing traditional open-loop systems can be costly, especially for mid-size and smaller TAs.

UniTiAg provides a cost-effective solution for TAs and their ticketing system vendors, shifting from card-present to e-commerce transactions, reducing PCI DSS and payment schemes compliance burdens, and streamlining processes. This allows TAs to maintain their fare policies while lowering the complexity and expense of open-loop systems.

Open-To-Ride Balance

UniTiAg’s core concept is the Open-to-Ride Balance (OTRB), a balance linked to a CRD. The balance is shared among participating Transit Agencies (TAs). UniTiAg synchronizes OTRB updates in near real-time, ensuring all TAs reflect changes when funds are used.

The OTRB can be pre-authorized, prepaid, postpaid, or a combination, based on the rider’s creditworthiness and TSMP’s risk management policies. Once an OTRB is created, customers can tap their contactless token at any participating TA for seamless access to transit services.

With UniTiAg, Transit Agencies are no longer traditional brick-and-mortar merchants. The CRD tap is no longer a card-present payment transaction but rather a method of registration of a service paid through the TSMP.

AmuzeBuy and Sandbox Environment

AmuzeBuy is a TSMP mockup showcasing the user experience that any TSMP can provide by implementing the UniTiAg TSMP API. Create a shopper/rider account, set up payment methods, manage OTRBs, and simulate card taps with our validator mockup.

AmuzeBuy runs on the UniTiAg Sandbox environment.

  • Open-Loop Ticketing software developers: contact us for access to the UniTiAg Sandbox to integrate your ticketing system using our  TA and TANB APIs.
  • TSMP developers: contact us for access to our fare validator and TA simulator to test your integration with UniTiAg using our TSMP API.

Next to watch and read

Closed Loop and Open Loop for Transit Executives

UniTiAg architecture

UniTiAg vs classic open loop: pros and cons