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Three companies bid for Ottawa transit card system
2 Jun 2010

Three companies are set to bid for the new transit card system in Ottawa, reports theprovince.com.

Thales/ Octopus International Projects, Serco/Parkeon, and Cubic/IBM - the firm behind the Oyster Card - are all vying for the lucrative ten-year contract.

The Translink system, which is planned to be implemented until 2013, will allow card holders to seamlessly travel across the city's bus and train networks. 

Users will be able to load credit onto their pre-paid cards, while the exact fare amount will be deducted by readers which will record the route and time of each journey.

Translink, the local travel authority, will be able to use this data to adjust and improve its service according to customer demand. 

Officials from Translink have confirmed that neighbouring state Victoria will contribute $40 million (£26.3 million) to the project, Ottawa $30 million and the remainder could be covered by TransLink.

The three companies have until the end of June to deliver their proposals.