Electronic payments processor epay is partnering with transportation ticketing solutions provider Cubic Transportation Systems for a new A$1.2bn ($1.18bn) smartcard ticketing system to be implemented in Sydney, Australia.

Customers will “tag on” using a smartcard at the start of a journey and “tag off” at the end, allowing the fare to be automatically deducted from the money on the smartcard.

epay is a member of the Pearl Consortium, which recently won the smartcard ticketing contract from the New South Wales Government’s public transport ticketing corporation (PTTC).

The consortium also includes the Commonwealth Bank of Australia and Australia’s electrical engineering firm Downer EDI.

epay, a division of Euronet Worldwide, offers transport solutions in Australia, the UK and Poland.

The electronic ticketing system will be introduced by the end of 2012.