Cubic Awarded $11.3 Million Contract to Provide
New Smart Card-Based Fare Collection System to PATCO
SAN DIEGO,
Calif., March 23, 2005 – Cubic Transportation Systems,
Inc., a subsidiary of San Diego-based Cubic Corporation
(AMEX:CUB), has been awarded
an $11.3 million contract for design and integration of a new multi-modal contactless
smart card-based automated fare collection system that will link rail and parking
services for the Port Authority Transit Corporation (PATCO), a subsidiary of
the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA).
The PATCO High Speed Line connects Center
City Philadelphia to suburban Camden County, New Jersey
and is a principal
connection to two other major transit systems that serve
the northeast corridor – New Jersey Transit and Southeastern
Pennsylvania Transportation Authority.
Under the new contract, Cubic will deliver
an advanced, open-architecture fare collection system of
operational software,
communications, sales terminals for customer agents, multi-language
ticket vending machines that issue smart cards and magnetically
encoded tickets, faregates and parking equipment for the
13 rail stations and seven parking facilities servicing PATCO’s
14.2-mile rail line.
The new system will support the use of both
smart cards for regular commuters and magnetically encoded
single-ride
and round-trip tickets for occasional riders and tourists.
Smart cards will be the only medium accepted at the agency’s
gated parking facilities from 5 a.m. until 10 a.m. After
10 a.m., the agency will allow free entry. Metered parking
spaces and free lots will still be available.
Cubic also is supplying automated customer
service features including credit-debit payment, internet-based
ticketing,
autoload (the ability to automatically load value onto the
card), and electronic transit benefits delivery. These and
other advanced capabilities will be integrated and managed
by Cubic’s Nextfare™ Central System, a configurable
suite of software designed using industry standards, open
platforms and integrated commercial off-the-shelf applications
to provide the core fare collection, management and reporting
functions.
“Cubic offered the best technical solution to meet
our requirements for field-proven system components and system
flexibility to accommodate future growth. The result will
be a state-of-the-art, customer-friendly system for the more
than 9 million patrons we serve each year while giving the
Authority the latest tools for improved revenue capture and
operational efficiencies,” said Robert A. Box, General
Manager of PATCO.
“We are especially pleased to receive this contract,
as PATCO was one of our first customers in the Automatic
Fare Collection business,” said Richard Efland, President
and Chief Executive Officer of Cubic Transportation Systems,
Inc. “PATCO is a vital transportation hub for the northeastern
U.S., and we are excited to be delivering the new system,
which could evolve into a regional smart card system for
the greater New Jersey/New York/Philadelphia area,” he
added.
“PATCO is pleased to have Cubic to develop a state-of-the-art
smart card system for our customers. Since 1969, PATCO customers
have used a magnetic ticketing system, which though cutting-edge
at its introduction, has now become outdated. The new system
will be revolutionary in its own way,” said John J.
Matheussen, President of PATCO and CEO of the Delaware River
Port Authority.
The system is one of the first systems compliant with the
Regional Interoperability Standard for Electronic Transit
Fare Payments (RIS) which was developed by the Port Authority
of New York and New Jersey, and forms the basis for a national
standard currently being reviewed by the American Public
Transportation Association.
PATCO’s new system will replace the system installed
by Cubic in 1975, which was the nation’s first automated
fare collection system to use plastic magnetically encoded
tickets, a popular fare product still used in many transit
systems today.
Delivery of the new system is scheduled for the end of 2006.
Cubic Transportation Systems, Inc. is the
world’s
leading full-service solution provider of automated fare
collection systems for public transport including bus, bus
rapid transit, light rail, commuter rail, heavy rail, ferry
and parking. Cubic’s solutions and services include
system design, back office computer systems, support equipment,
equipment design and manufacturing, device-level software,
integration, test, installation, warranty, maintenance, computer
hosting services, call centre services, card management and
distribution services, financial clearing and settlement,
multi-application support and outsourcing services.
Every year, nearly 10 billion rides are taken worldwide
using Cubic fare collection systems. Cubic has delivered
over 400 projects in 40 major markets on five continents.
Active projects include London, New York / New Jersey region,
Washington, D.C. /Baltimore /Virginia region, Los Angeles
region, San Diego region, San Francisco, Minneapolis/St.
Paul, Chicago, Atlanta, Vancouver and Edmonton, Canada, Brisbane,
Australia, Singapore, Bangkok, Thailand, China, and Scandinavia.
The corporation’s other major segment,
Cubic Defense Applications, is a world leader in realistic
combat training
systems, mission support services and defense electronics.
For more information about Cubic, see the company's Web site
at www.cubic.com.