Fare Collection System

Mountain Line, the Northern Arizona Intergovernmental Public Transportation Authority serving Gila County, Arizona, is soliciting responses for a comprehensive, modern electronic fare collection system through RFP 2026-170, with proposals due by February 28, 2026. The procurement seeks a secure, scalable, cloud-native solution based on open architecture principles that improves rider experience, minimizes vehicle dwell times, supports multiple fare media types, and provides operational flexibility for both closed-loop and open-loop fare payments with reliable online and offline operation capability. Key deliverables and functional requirements include fast transaction processing (under one second), support for mobile ticketing, contactless smart cards, NFC-based mobile wallets (Apple Pay and Google Pay), contactless credit and debit cards, staff-configurable fare and fare product management, daily and monthly fare-capping functionality, employee and institutional pass programs including Northern Arizona University's ecoPASS program via QR code integration, and integration with the Transit app as the primary rider-facing application. The vendor shall provide comprehensive implementation, configuration, testing, training, and go-live support services targeting a Summer 2026 go-live date for Mountain Line's fleet of 30 buses and 8 vans (with 4 additional buses arriving in September 2026), all equipped with CradlePoint routers for internet connectivity. Vendors may propose either a purchased system with ongoing maintenance and support or a leased/subscription-based model, with purchased equipment requiring a five-year warranty and Build America/Buy America compliance. The evaluation will be conducted using an 100-point scoring methodology across eight categories: Functional Requirements (10 points), Reporting & Data Access (10 points), Architecture & Technical Requirements (10 points), Hardware Requirements (10 points), Migration & Implementation Services (10 points), Vendor Experience & Support (10 points), Preferred Options (20 points), and Pricing & Value (20 points), with a Selection Committee establishing a short list of three presumptively highest-scoring respondents for 90-minute team oral presentations (30-minute presentation plus 60-minute roundtable discussion) ranked on Team Interview (maximum 40 points) and Strategic Fit (maximum 60 points). A pre-submittal meeting is scheduled for February 17, 2026, at 10:00 AM Arizona time via Zoom, and a public proposal opening will occur on February 26, 2026, at 9:00 AM Arizona time via Zoom.

Respondents must meet mandatory compliance requirements including professional standing as an Arizona corporation with minimum five years continuous business operation and proper licensure and registration of lead professionals, and financial stability demonstrated through available resources and financial capability documentation (with Mountain Line reserving the right to request audited financial statements). The procurement includes a 13 percent disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE) participation goal, and all responses are valid for 180 calendar days from submission. All selected respondents must provide required insurance policies or certificates within ten days of notice of intent to award and execute contract documents within ten days of receipt. The fare collection system must comply with PCI-DSS standards and obtain EMV certification, and Mountain Line retains ownership of all data generated by the system while requiring robust standard reporting capabilities and custom reporting functionality with secure, documented API access and exportable data in common formats. Preferred options identified by Mountain Line include integrated mobile and electronic fare collection, loyalty and incentive programs, Apple Express Transit support, third-party sales channels, paratransit and ADA fare support, data and schedule integration using GTFS, and unified fare media across fixed-route, paratransit, and microtransit services. No pricing information, contract term length, award value, or incumbent vendor information is specified in the available solicitation documents; interested vendors should contact Heather Higgins, Purchasing and Contracts Officer, at purchasing@naipta.az.gov for complete RFP documentation and detailed specifications. Responses must not exceed 18 pages (exclusive of resumes, attachments, and letters of recommendation) and must include an executive summary, relevant experience with up to five comparable transit projects completed in the last five years with owner references, project team qualifications and organization chart, and a detailed project approach with work plan and deliverables.