2-Addendum 1 - Questions and Answers.pdf

To: All Interested Parties

From: Steven Bruno, Purchasing Agent

Date: August 18, 2025

Subject: RFI #26-01 for Transit Payment Cards – Addendum 1

This Addendum 1 to the above referenced Request for Information responds to questions received as of Friday, August 8, 2025 at 12:00 p.m. The question is provided first with MST’s corresponding response.

Other than those specifically listed below, no other sections of the above cited solicitation are being altered at this time.

Please be sure to acknowledge this, and any other addenda, in your response.

Question Response

What are the current ticket form factor for Pay-as-you-Go transactions and for Passes?

It is the intent of Monterey-Salinas Transit to fully migrate to a cEMV payment system on our fixed fleet and paratransit services by the end of the 2026 calendar year. Per this goal, we will not be requesting that any current legacy form factors be supported. For presentations and proposals associated with the Request for Information, interested vendors are encouraged to refer to page 2 and 3 of the published RFI, which outlines what we are seeking as a desired form factor.

The cards to be issued will be Pre- Paid cards ?

As outlined on page 3 of the published RFI, Monterey-Salinas Transit and other interested agencies are requesting a solutions that would allow for customers to obtain reloadable cEMV cards. Ideally the cards would be available with a ready-to-use balance or could be loaded and reloaded per the customer’s needs.

We understand that cEMV stands for contactless EMV.

Yes.

The Card issued will be for Pay-as-you-Go transaction. Are there any pass products (Trip Pass, Daily Pass, Monthly Pass, Concession Pass etc) to be written on the cEMV Pre-Paid cards?

Monterey-Salinas Transit and other interested agencies ideally would be interested in a solution that already leverages the Open-Loop payment processing structure that has been developed by our agency, Cal-ITP, and our partners. While this technology incorporates fare-capping and qualified discount structures, the workflows used to determine them exist with the back-end payments processing services. This means that any solutions should not require any complex rule sets to be written on the eEMV card itself.

Card loading will be done through cash and through online account host balance. Is our understanding correct? What are the points for cash loading? Please provide the specifications of current hardware deployed for cash loading.

Monterey-Salinas Transit anticipates that your suggested scenario would be in alignment with the goals stated in the RFI. Currently the agency has no cash-loading technology (hardware or software) that it intends to continue using with any solution selected in a future RFP, so specifications at this time would not be relevant. Our anticipation is that, based on responses submitted to this RFI, Monterey-Salinas Transit would then create an RFP that is in alignment with the technology used in an Open-Loop ecosystem, using compatible commercial-off-the-shelf hardware, while recognizing what technology that vendors in this space are capable of providing. We would strongly encourage interested vendors to outline the methods, both physical and digital, that they can support.

Who will be the issuer and BIN sponsors for issuance and acquiring of cEMV cards?

Monterey-Salinas Transit is not currently using any unique cEMV product, with all transactions on our fare collection system occurring within the major payments processing networks (VISA, MasterCard, Discover, AMEX) via any banking institution that issues customer cEMVs on those networks. While MST envisions a solution that would be merchant-restricted in nature to participating Open-Loop transportation agencies and potentially other mobility-type providers, we have no set requirements for a BIN sponsor. We would strongly encourage interested vendors to outline potential partners as a part of any proposed solution.

Can you please specify the compliance, certifications and regulatory requirements for issuance and acquiring of cEMV pre-paid cards?

Monterey-Salinas Transit has no requirements beyond those that already exist for financial institutions and technology providers to meet all U.S.

state and local payments processing needs in an Open-Loop system. We would strongly encourage interested vendors to outline how they currently comply with any such.

Can our solution be hosted in the cloud? Are there any requirements of MST to host data in the US or specific demographics?

Yes. Monterey-Salinas Transit would consider a cloud-based solution acceptable. While we do not anticipate a locational data-hosting requirement, any proposed solution should include information on where the vendor would anticipate that data might be held, what types of data would be retained, and what methodology the vendor(s) are using to ensure data protection and resilience.

Monterey-Salinas Transit does not anticipate that we would require any unique demographic information beyond what is necessary to manage the transactions associated with a customer being authorized to ride on our or any participating agency’s system.

Our understanding is that cEMV cards issued through our system will be accepted in this close-loop ecosystem only.

As outlined in the RFI, Monterey-Salinas Transit is seeking a solution that is merchant-restricted. We are also seeking a solution that will function on an Open- Loop payments ecosystem. Our anticipation is that any solution provided would also be able to support other participating agencies who have deployed systems using the Open-Loop ecosystem and standards; as well as a forward-looking goal to potentially support other mobility partners (bike share, taxi share or other complementary mobility services as examples, but not specific requirements) at some future date. We would strongly encourage interested vendors to suggest solutions in alignment with those goals.

Do we need to consider mobile application for card reloading functionality?

Yes. However, Monterey-Salinas Transit is open to the methodology to providing on-line support. We would be open to support through pre-existing applications (such as but not exclusively) smart-phone digital wallets, API function calls within smart-devices coupled to mobility applications, as well as secure web-based interfaces. We would strongly encourage interested vendors to suggest methods by which they could provide an outstanding on-line reloading and management opportunity for our customers.

Anonymous card will be personalized printed cards or instant issued cards?

If the question is that Monterey-Salinas Transit is requesting an identity-bound card (ex. One that would contain an individual’s name, image, or some other form of PII), then the answer is no. If the request is that Monterey-Salinas Transit is seeking a card that clearly brands that card for use on our agency as well as potentially other participating agencies, then the answer is yes. Any cards implemented for our system could be considered instant issued in the sense that any card issued via any method selected (suggested for the purpose of example, not a fixed requirement at this time - such as a customer service center, retail location, or unattended kiosk) would need to be immediately accepted on our Open Loop cEMV readers.

Who will supply the white plastic cards for this initiative?

The method and cost of any cEMV cards would be considered the responsibility of the vendor(s) proposing the solution.

For Apple Pay / Google Pay integration, is MST expecting the vendor to provide its own tokenization solution, or should the vendor integrate with a third-party tokenization provider?

The anticipation is that any solution proposed would meet the requirements of merchant-restricted, Open Loop ecosystem. MST is open to methodologies that would meet those goals.

Should physical cards be printed in bulk at a central personalization bureau, or does MST require dynamic card printing and issuance at the point of sale or distribution?

Monterey-Salinas Transit is open to proposals that meet the desired solution as stated in the RFI. We would strongly encourage interested vendors to suggest methods they feel would provide for the best customer experience at an optimal cost.

Will these cards be accepted exclusively at MST validators, or should they also be accepted by other transit agencies across California or nationally?

While the anticipation is that any solution would be merchant-restricted, Monterey- Salinas Transit seeks to leverage the advantages of the Open-Loop ecosystem, which allows for additional merchants to be added to that ecosystem as desired.

At the time of this RFI, two additional agencies have expressed a desire to participate in the implementation of a potential solution, so it should be anticipated that the RFP to be issued would reflect a need for acceptance by their systems as well. The goal is to implement a solution that can be adopted by any other agency, both California and potentially nationally, using Open Loop technology over recognized payments processing networks.

Where does MST currently collect cash payment from riders?

Monterey-Salinas Transit currently collects cash via a legacy system that is planned for retirement at the conclusion of 2026. As such, where we are currently collecting cash is not expected to be a need for any future RFP. As stated in the RFI, a further goal is to phase out cash collection on our transit vehicles altogether. We would strongly encourage interested vendors to suggest methods and potential locations where our customers would be able to convert cash to a cEMV Transit Card (suggested for the purpose of example, not a fixed requirement at this time - such as a customer service center, retail location, or unattended kiosk).

Do these cash collection locations all have reliable internet access, and are all staff able to access a desktop or tablet?

The anticipation would be that Monterey- Salinas Transit would consider the methods of card-reloading being proposed by prospective vendors, and would provide any specified connectivity for that proposed solution as needed. We would strongly encourage interested vendors to suggest methods by which they could provide an outstanding on-line reloading and management opportunity for our customers.

Is MST willing to maintain a pool of pre-authorized funds with its card issuer to expedite the transfer of funds onto cards?

Monterey-Salinas Transit does not envision that scenario as being in alignment with the Open Loop nature of the system we are using. However we would be willing to consider a proposal outlining the reasons a vendor would feel this is necessary.

Does MST anticipate non-MST staff activating and authorizing cards? For example, staff at a grocery store or non-profit.

Given the nature of the requested goals in the RFI, Monterey-Salinas Transit does anticipate solutions allowing for non-MST locations such as retail and NGO’s would be potential distribution and funds-reloading locations. We would strongly encourage interested vendors to suggest methods by which they could provide an outstanding physical and on-line reloading and management opportunity for our customers.

How do support staff activate a card today (swiping it, scanning a QR code, entering a string)?

No methods currently in use today are expected to be carried over to a new solution. We would strongly encourage interested vendors to suggest methods by which they could provide an outstanding physical and on-line reloading and management opportunity for our customers.

What is MST's ideal launch date for a new payment card?

Monterey-Salinas Transit’s goal is for a baseline-needs functional card to operational no later than November of 2026, with the baseline needs to determined in agreement with any selected vendor as part of any formal RFP and award process.

How many users are anticipated to utilize these payments cards, yearly?

Monterey-Salinas Transit distributed approximately 75,000 legacy transit passes in CY2024. Our anticipation is that we would see similar numbers with the launch of any replacement product.

Can you please advise the next steps and decision timeframes, following the RFI submission?

We are going to use the information collected as a result of this non-binding RFI to develop and issue an RFP in the near future.