UnicoCampania and SNCF with Matawan revealed as 2023 Calypso Award Winners

Paris, France. 30 November 2023. Calypso Networks Association (CNA), the member-led organisation which brings together transport operators and authorities to evolve contactless ticketing systems through open standards, has announced the winners of its annual Calypso Awards.

In a ceremony held as a part of the Calypso Open Session in Paris, UnicoCampania was announced as the winner of “Best Customer Service”, while SNCF and Matawan were awarded “Best Innovation” for their collaborative work in hybrid account- and -card-based ticketing.

A special award was also presented by the CNA Board to Île-de-France Mobilités, in recognition of its pioneering work with Calypso Light. IDFM was involved in its development since the very beginning and has since become the first network to deploy it at scale, with tens of millions of cards issued in 2023. Such a large-scale first deployment provides a huge springboard for Calypso Light into the market.

The Best Customer Service award recognises users of Calypso who offer customers an innovative service that facilitates easier access to public transport, promotes sustainable mobility, and highlights the performance of Calypso technology. UnicoCampania was recognised for centralising its network ticketing, including integrated regional fares, to make over 1,000 types of single, hourly or seasonal tickets easily accessible and usable across public transport in the Campania region of Italy, including Naples and the Amalfi Coast.

The award for Best Innovation rewards providers who have developed a new Calypso product, component, software or processes that enriches the Calypso portfolio and contributes to the continued development of the Calypso standard. Matawan and SNCF were recognised for their unique offer that uses existing Calypso storage capabilities to register an entry that allows Card-Based Ticketing (CBT) to control the Account-Based Ticketing (ABT) ticket. Launching the offer in La Rochelle, they were among the first users of the new Calypso Basic card, which provides contactless paper tickets, at the lowest cost, for a full contactless ticketing experience.

CNA Chairman, Gianluca Cuzzolin, said “In 2023, innovation and customer service have been essential to the recovery and growth of transport networks around the world. The Calypso Awards aim to shine a light on the fantastic work of operators and authorities as they deliver the best passenger experience, free from proprietary constraints. Our nominees this year came from all over the world, representing implementations across mobile, ABT, security and a range of transport options, including electric vehicles. After much deliberation, we’re pleased to announce our worthy winners, who truly demonstrated the highest standards of customer service and innovation.”

The Calypso Awards bring together the global community of CNA members to share ideas and use cases that are helping to drive innovation in the industry. The winners were selected by a panel of experts that included CNA’s Chairman, its General Manager, technical experts and previous Calypso Award winners.