The Smart Card Alliance Transportation Council has published a white paper examining how the transit industry can best make use of NFC technology.

“One of the major challenges facing transit agencies today is how to capitalize on the ever-growing popularity of mobile phones with a solid mobile strategy,” said Transportation Council Chairman Craig Roberts. “This white paper builds on the knowledge base developed in earlier white papers to foster a greater understanding of NFC technology, explain its role in the transit industry, and shed light on key issues facing the transit industry in developing a mobile strategy.”

“NFC and Transit,” free to download here, explores the use of NFC for payment, transit ticketing and non-payment transit information applications. Topics include:

• Transit mobile applications overview
• NFC applications that can benefit transit including payment, ticketing and information applications
• The NFC ecosystem and stakeholder roles
• Key considerations for developing a mobile strategy
• Examples of NFC pilot projects in New Jersey, London, San Francisco and Germany

“In order to fully realize the benefits of NFC technology, transit agencies need to immerse themselves into the operational details of the NFC ecosystem and thoroughly understand the technology and business models,” said Randy Vanderhoof, executive director of the Smart Card Alliance. “This white paper is another piece of the puzzle in terms of fully educating the industry on the ins and outs of NFC.”