Sophia-Antipolis, April 1st, 2010
ASK, leader in contactless technology for public transport, announces that the company has been selected by Marseilles region to supply all contactless transport media. Transpass card will replace subscribers’ cards while contactless paper tickets will address occasional users.
Focus on interoperability

The Marseilles Provence Metropolis Urban Community (CUMPM) and the Bouches du Rhône County Council wanted to implement what was best in terms of transport ticketing and network. Transpass contactless card will be used as a sole medium on all transportation modes of the area (Metro, tramway, bus, bikes, and sea shuttles) and within the 18 towns and cities of the CUMPM. The card is meant to be interoperable with the other regional networks such as the County Council and SNCF (French railways operator).
ASK contactless paper tickets will replace such current media as Liberty card or 5 travels cards and in the long term Solo tickets.
These new contactless media should boost the usage of public transport, strengthen the territory’s identity and increase travelers’ loyalty.
“Apart from the contactless cards offered for subscribers, Marseilles area is the first French metropolis to implement electronic tickets for the millions of its occasional users on a large scale, Amand Cochet, VP Marketing at ASK, says. We are pleased to see that the contactless paper tickets ASK invented in 2000 will make it easier for PACA region users to travel. Marseilles will no doubt be a flagship for other cities either in France or abroad.”

ASK contactless technology already in the region

Travelers in the PACA region (Provence and Riviera region) have already experienced contactless ticketing with ASK dual interface cards (contact/contactless) and contactless paper tickets.

Nice, ASK first client, was the first city in the world to launch a dual interface card on its network in 1998. Today, ASK contactless cards are in most public transport travelers’ pockets in the South of France, whether they be in Aix en Provence, Draguignan, Antibes or Nice and they can be used on all transport modes including self service bike rental…

ASK, with over 160 million contactless products in circulation in more than 50 countries, is a worldwide leading provider of a full range of contactless products including smart cards, smart tickets, smart adhesive labels, readers, inlays for electronic passports or contactless smart cards and eDocuments. ASK is ISO9001 certified and holds a portfolio of 55 patents to date. ASK is a France-headquartered company with worldwide customers, and subsidiaries in Singapore, China, India, Brazil, Mexico and the US.