Customer spotlight: Vix Technology enables contactless payments for mass transit

While many transit agencies still rely on collecting cash from riders, that model is fast disappearing as a result of advancements in the area of fare collection for mass transit. Vix Technology, a global provider of integrated transit and mobility systems, continues to deliver an exceptional experience for public transit commuters through its innovations in contactless payment technologies.

With worldwide headquarters in Australia and North American headquarters in Seattle, Vix Technology delivers hardware and software solutions for electronic fare collection (EFC) systems. Vix recently received the Transport Ticketing Technology of the Year award for their latest product innovation, designed for Salt Lake City’s UTA (Utah Transit Authority). This system gives transit riders a variety of ways to pay their fares, including student and employee ID cards, bank-issued credit cards, ISIS mobile wallet and Google Wallets, in addition to the new FAREPAY pre-paid contactless card issued by UTA. The ability to accept multiple payment formats differentiates Vix Technology’s customers from other transit systems.

With features such as mobile account management and lost card protection, the UTA FAREPAY system creates value for riders and transit agencies alike. In order for Vix to provide a seamless, integrated commuter experience, they require an IT infrastructure that can handle large numbers of transactions in multiple payment formats. In Seattle alone, the ORCA system processes more than 100 million transactions per year.

Prior to transitioning to Internap, Vix leveraged dedicated colo cabinets in local data centers. In addition to purchasing and deploying the hardware, Vix also managed the environment. Not only was it expensive to purchase hardware up-front, but having dedicated operations and support staff available 24/7 to monitor the environment was also costly.

In its desire to move away from this model and evaluate options for outsourced hosting, Vix sought a more affordable solution that provided superior support, physical security and offered a highly scalable and flexible service. After evaluating three local companies, Vix selected Internap as the best fit.

Today, Vix Technology uses Internap managed hosting service via its Seattle and Santa Clara data centers. The Internap solution met Vix requirements in three main areas:

Security
With strict regulations governing the privacy and storage of personal information and processing financial transactions, Vix requires complete visibility and control over how passenger data is managed. Internap’s infrastructure provides a secure, reliable environment to process payments and maintain data integrity. Vix Technology can leverage the benefits of cloud without the security and performance concerns of being on a shared platform with other users.

Scalability
Internap’s flexible infrastructure provides the scalability of cloud computing in a dedicated, secure environment. Scalable storage solutions ensure that Vix Technology can accommodate increased amounts of data and traffic as business demands change. This is especially important for transit agencies planning to scale their services and expand ridership levels. With Internap’s global data center locations, Vix Technology can support service expansions across multiple countries.

Support
With support from Internap’s Network Operations Center (NOC), Vix Technology can focus on meeting the needs of their customers instead of worrying about system maintenance. Certified Internap engineers are available 24/7 to provide support across worldwide locations and help ensure high availability.

Vix Technology’s innovations also give transit agencies the ability to analyze rider data, enabling them to predict and adjust routes and schedules accordingly. Analytics such as these are critical to the planning of mass transit systems in the future.

Whether you’re travelling by bus, train or ferry, Vix Technology is transforming the way people connect and commute. Through an innovative technology journey that includes reliable, scalable infrastructure from Internap, Vix continues to make mass transit more convenient for riders and less expensive for transit agencies.