Science & Technology
Science and Technology
Science and Technology
Tue, January 27, 2009
Mon, January 26, 2009 Cubic Corporation: eAccess Supplies Commemorative Smart Card Honoring Inauguration of President Barack Obama
SAN DIEGO, CA--(Marketwire - January 26, 2009) - eAccess, a subsidiary of Cubic Corporation (
The mid-January delivery of these special-edition WMATA smart cards gave WMATA the option of having an additional supplier for their successful SmarTrip® card while allowing the company to play a role in the historic inauguration of the nation's 44th President. The card body was made from a PVC/PET composite material, making them more durable and more eco-friendly. It was also finished with WMATA's signature fine-matte surface for a richer look and greater resistance to scratching and wear.
Public transit passengers are able to buy these commemorative cards for $10 each online or at Metro sales centers. The eAccess produced commemorative cards, which feature the company's eAccess, LLC logo on the back and "a member of the Cubic Corporation family of companies™," are certain to be a collector's item. As with other SmarTrip® cards, passengers will be able to add value to the cards so they can use them indefinitely.
In addition to the eAccess subsidiary's role in printing the commemorative cards, Cubic has worked with its WMATA customer since 1975 on automatic fare collection, and since the 1990s to develop the underlying GO CARD® smart card and ticketing technology valued by the millions of commuters in the Washington, D.C. region who use the SmarTrip® cards. WMATA's regular SmarTrip® cards include artwork of a bus, train and various Washington, D.C. landmarks.
Cubic's patented GO CARD® encryption/security technology has the capability to process fare collection and other transactions in approximately 100 milliseconds. It consists of an integrated circuit with an embedded chip and antenna that communicates via radio frequency with Tri-Reader™ -- an ISO 14443 compatible reader also developed by Cubic -- at the point of entry into transit fare gates, ticket vending machines and parking systems. Cubic has made available the licensing of this technology to card manufacturers, giving WMATA the possibility of additional supply sources for cards.
Cubic launched eAccess, LLC, in 2007. A California Limited Liability Corporation, eAccess has strategic alliances with companies in Asia, North America, South America and the Middle East to offer smart card supply capability combined with software and integration services from Cubic. The subsidiary has already produced quantities in the millions of both the permanent and Limited Use cards for customers in Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Canada, the Caribbean, Chile and Mexico.
