Wave Systems Corp. (fka WAVXQ)

[Fullmoon]

Now this is interesting, too

http://www.erggroup.com/news/mediarel/mediadisplay.cfm?MediaRelease=269

ERG Group, a global leader in smart card based transit fare collection and management systems, along with Northrop Grumman Information Technology (IT), has been selected by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) to install and operate a new Regional Customer Service Centre for its smart card based fare collection system, known as SmarTrip®.

The WMATA decision means a contract for the project can be awarded to ERG following final negotiations and the expected approval of the Maryland Transit Administration.

The WMATA project will begin a new era of integrated transit in the Washington DC area, Maryland and Northern Virginia allowing passengers to use a single smart card to pay fares across 17 transit systems. The SmarTrip system is expected to grow to a card base of more than one million over a five-year period.

The project involves the establishment and operation of a smart card customer service centre, card management and the clearing and settling of smart card transactions across 17 transit agencies in Northern Virginia, Maryland and the Washington DC area. The new system will interface with existing installed hardware such as gates and readers. WMATA has managed the tender and evaluation process on behalf of the participating transit agencies.

ERG will be responsible for the management of smart cards and operation of the data processing system incorporating clearing, settlement and financial management. ERG will use its existing central computer processing system installed in the San Francisco Bay Area to perform these functions. This established facility has been designed to process smart card transactions from multiple North American cities.

The project calls for ERG to operate the system for a period of five years, with two subsequent one-year options. The initial five-year contract, worth approximately US$20 million, comprises the supply, installation and operation of the system. Northrop Grumman IT will be responsible for the distribution of smart cards and operation of the customer service centre in the Washington DC area as a subcontractor and partner to ERG. Work is expected to commence on the project during the first quarter of 2003.

"We are pleased that Washington DC is about to join a growing number of North American cities that have selected ERG's technology to help run their fare collection systems," said Michael Nash, General Manager of ERG's Operations in the Americas.

"San Francisco, Toronto, Las Vegas, and Ventura County in Southern California have all chosen ERG's solution because of its capacity for interoperability and scalability across multiple transit systems and millions of passengers and because its open architecture makes it easier to integrate new applications as they become desirable. This new project will give ERG a prominent East Coast presence ahead of some of the major tenders we expect in the coming twelve months.

"The WMATA approval is the first fruit from our relationship with Northrop Grumman IT. We hope to see that expand to further transit contracts as well as adding non-transit applications. ERG's capacity for interoperability and openness of its system is extremely important for the expanded use of this card base."