The Federal Highway Administration recently awarded the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) a $7.7 million federal Advanced Transportation Technology and Innovation grant to support the Southern California Mobility Wallet.
The project will expand the Southern California Mobility Wallet, which uses “open-loop” technology to offer Los Angeles County residents seamless payment to highway and transit services. The system allows commuters to pay with bank or credit cards to access different public transit, electric vehicle charging stations, and roadway tolling.
It also issues direct funds to Los Angeles County residents without access to traditional banking to pay for mobility services. These residents will be issued a contactless debit card that can be used at any retailer that accepts bank card payments, and funds will be directly issued for mobility needs.
“We have to innovate and incorporate technology in order to meet the transportation needs of all Californians,” Caltrans Director Tony Tavares said. “This grant will increase access and mobility for underserved communities and help move California toward a universal payment system for transit.”
The Southern California Mobility Wallet is the result of a partnership between the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Caltrans. Caltrans created and manages the California Integrated Travel Project, an initiative to expand multimodal travel.