PUBLIC NOTICE

RFP 2026-170 Fare Collection System

Northern Arizona Intergovernmental Public Transportation Authority, a political subdivision of the State of Arizona (“Mountain Line”) is seeking a qualified Respondent for RFP 2026-170 Fare Collection System.

If your firm is interested in being considered for this project, you may obtain a copy of the Request for Proposals (“RFP”) packet at https://mountainline-az-gov.bonfirehub.com/. Any/all associated addenda for this RFP will be available via this portal. The Respondent bears sole responsibility to check the website for any/all addenda. Mountain Line will not email or send out copies or notifications of any/all addenda(s).

This is a one-step solicitation. The successful Respondent, if any, will be selected and recommended to the appropriate Mountain Line Board of Directors for Award. No contract shall exist until properly and formally approved for Award and fully executed by the Respondent and the properly authorized Mountain Line signatory.

Sealed Responses to this RFP (“Responses”) will be received electronically via the portal at https://mountainline-az-gov.bonfirehub.com/ Feb 27th 2026 by 5:00 PM MST. A public opening will be held via Zoom. The link will be posted to the portal. Responses received by the correct time and date shall be opened and only the name of the Respondents shall be publicly read. All other information contained in the Response shall remain confidential until award is made. All Submittals received after the time stated in the RFP will not be considered. Respondent assumes responsibility for having their Response deposited on time at the place specified.

This announcement does not commit Mountain Line to award a contract and Mountain Line shall not reimburse any Respondent for any costs incurred in the preparation of a response. Mountain Line reserves the right to accept or reject, in whole or in part, any or all responses submitted and/or to cancel this announcement and/or RFP. Mountain Line reserves the right to waive any informality or irregularity in any Responses received and to be the sole judge of the merits of the respective Responses received. Any contract awarded shall be based upon the response determined by Mountain Line most advantageous to Mountain Line. No contract shall exist unless and until properly executed by Mountain Line, including formal approval by Mountain Line Board when required. The Mountain Line’s Purchasing Policy (“Purchasing Policy”) which can be found at https://mountainline.az.gov/services-programs/purchasing/ governs this procurement and is incorporated into the RFP by this reference. If there is any conflict between this advertisement and the terms of the RFP or any applicable code or statute, the RFP, code and/or statute shall prevail over this advertisement.

Fare Collection System Scope of Work

1. Overview and Objectives

Mountain Line seeks a comprehensive, modern electronic fare collection solution that improves the rider experience, minimizes vehicle dwell times, supports multiple fare media types, and provides operational flexibility. The system shall be secure, scalable, cloud-native, and based on open architecture principles to support future enhancements and integrations. The solution must support both closed-loop and open-loop fare payments and be capable of operating reliably in online and offline environments.

2. System Description

The Vendor shall design, furnish, implement, configure, test, and support a complete fare collection system, including all required software, hardware, integrations, and services. The system shall be able to replicate all current Mountain Line fare policies, reporting needs, and institutional pass programs.

3. Functional Requirements

3.1 Usability and Rider Experience

•The system must be easy to use for both riders and Mountain Line employees.

•The system shall support fast transaction processing (less than 1 second) to minimizeboarding times and reduce vehicle dwell time.

•The system shall provide a low-cost day pass solution

3.2 Fare Media and Payment Support

The system shall support, at a minimum, the following fare media types:

•Mobile ticketing

•Contactless smart cards

•NFC-based mobile wallets (including Apple Pay and Google Pay)

•Contactless credit and debit cards

The system shall include open-loop (EMV-based) onboard payment capability; however, Mountain Line will ultimately make the decision whether to implement open-loop payments based on cost.