Frequently Asked Questions

By Transit Agencies

Question: We operate in a small town with minimal tourist or business traffic. Despite this, our City Council, along with councils from similar towns, is advocating for the implementation of an open-loop system over a more cost-effective closed-loop system. Why might this be the case?

Read answer

Question: What does our TA need to do to use UniTiAg in addition to or instead of the classic open-loop system?

Read answer

Question: Assuming we have already started an open-loop project, how will migration to UniTiAg affect our contractual obligations with our ABT system vendor and acquiring processor?

Read answer

Question: Is it accurate to say that closed-loop ticketing is less expensive than open-loop ticketing?

Read answer

Question: How does UniTiAg manage to secure more affordable merchant services?

Read answer

Question: Why does UniTiAg adoption requires lower capital expenditures?

Read answer

Question: Transit patrons often find it cumbersome to top-up accounts before they ride, a friction that can lead to low adoption rates. How does UniTiAg mitigates this friction?

Read answer

Question: Visitors to the area where our TA operates cannot tap their cards without first knowing and signing up for a TSMP. A big advantage of the classic open-loop scheme is the “tap and go” convenience—no TSMP sign-up required.

Read answer

Question: What factors contribute to the higher adoption rate of debit cards with UniTiAg?

Read answer

Question: Is it necessary to maintain closed-loop cards for unbanked, concession, and low-income patrons when transitioning to UniTiAg?

Read answer

Question: How can parents equip their children with open-loop cards?

Read answer

Question: How does the UniTiAg scheme affects the user experience? Will the rider see their taps in our ticketing system web interface and mobile app, as the tap does not constitute a payment transaction anymore? 

Read answer

Question: Will UniTiAg work with contactless smartphones and watches?

Read answer

Question: Can riders withdraw funds from their OTRB if they no longer need them?

Read answer

By Ticketing Systems Vendors

Question: Does UniTiAg pose a competitive threat to us?

Read answer

Question: As a significant portion of the COFC is paid to us by transit agencies, we’re concerned about having to share it with TSMPs. How does this impact us?

Read answer

Question: We’ve already invested in validators. Now, to transition to UniTiAg, we need to modify the validator software. What are the cost implications of this change?

Read answer

Question: Our customers, TAs, have to support cash fare payments to cater to unbanked riders. UniTiAg doesn’t help us resolve this issue, does it?

Read answer

Question: How does UniTiAg helps include underbanked riders, those with low income an poor credit history?

Read answer

By Two-Sided Marketplaces 

Question: We have concerns that card schemes, such as Visa and MasterCard, may not approve of their cards being used as passes rather than as means of payment at validators, which are no longer point-of-sale systems. How does UniTiAg address this?

Read answer

Question: How do we generate revenue from a UniTiAg project?

Read answer

Question: Will UniTiAg work with contactless smartphones and watches?

Read answer

API and Compliance Questions

PCI DSS Guidance Disclaimer

The considerations related to the PCI DSS assessment scope provided in this section constitute a preliminary analysis based on the document “Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard: Requirements and Testing Procedures, v4.0.1,” published by the PCI Security Standards Council, LLC, as well as other documents published by the PCI Security Standards Council, LLC, hereinafter referred to as the “PCI DSS standards.”

These considerations do not constitute a PCI DSS assessment or a PCI assessor’s consultation. For the official assessment of your ABT or AFC system and its hardware and software components, you should consult certified PCI DSS assessors.

Question: If our ABT system purely utilizes the UniTiAg fare collection scheme, what is its PCI DSS assessment scope?

Read answer

Question: Does card PAN hashing require any secret encryption key?

Read answer

Question: How is it possible that our ABT system does not need to store the card PAN hash? How do we access the actual OTRB data without this hash?

Read answer

Question: Why PCI DSS Assessment scope in case of UniTiAg scheme is narrower than the one for the classic open-loop scheme?

Read answer

Question: Do we need EMV Level 2 approved reader for UniTiAg scheme?

Read answer

Question: Do we need EMV Level 3 approval for our ABT system if it implements purely the UniTiAg scheme?

Read answer

Question: What is EMV Level 3 approval?

Read answer

Question: What factors affect EMV Level 3 approval costs?

Read answer