Joining a growing number of cities
worldwide, the Auckland Regional Council has given the green light
for implementation of an integrated contactless payments solution
for its public transport services. The contract for the solution
encompassing New Zealand’s largest city’s train, bus and ferry
services has been awarded to French electronics systems developer
Thales.

“Auckland will receive a proven, multi-modal
and multi-operator system leveraging some of the best fare
collection systems already in operation in the world including Hong
Kong, the Netherlands and Dubai,” commented Rabin Rabindran,
chairman of the Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA).

Rabindran was referring to contactless public
transport ticketing solutions implemented by Thales in Hong Kong
(Octopus), the Netherlands (national OV Chipkaart) and in Dubai for
the emirate’s first public rail service. Other contactless payments
projects in which Thales has played the key role include those in
Beijing, Madrid, Bangkok, Paris and New Delhi.

In the Auckland contactless payments
implementation Thales and Octopus will work together with Octopus
supplying the core central clearing house system. As with Octopus’
Hong Kong payments system, Auckland’s will be extendable to small
contactless payments, parking meter charges and small retail
charges.

On the cost of the project Rabindran said that
it has been the subject of considerable media interest with a
figure of up to NZ$135 million ($100 million) bandied about. He
added that the actual capital cost of the project is NZ$47
million.

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