Cubic Will Deliver Ticketing Machines That Include Somali Language to Minneapolis/St. Paul Metro Transit; Transit Ticketing Machines Reflect Growing Diversity of Middle America.

Lifestyle Editors/Business Editors/Travel Writers

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 27, 2003

In a decision that reflects the changing demographics of its newest customers, San Diego-based Cubic Transportation Systems, a subsidiary of Cubic Corp. (AMEX:CUB), will program the 88 ticketing machines of Metro Transit of Minneapolis to communicate in the Somali language.

The ticketing machines are part of a contract Metro Transit awarded to Cubic last year to provide the nation's first regional ticketing system that accepts smart cards for fare payment for light-rail, city bus and future bus rapid transit system.

Cubic software engineers will ensure the machines have instructions in English, Spanish, Hmong, and Somali. When commuters go to use the machines, they will choose their language preference.

As do most agencies, the Metropolitan Council studied census data for the metropolitan area before choosing the languages for the ticketing machines. Despite tight budget constraints, the Metropolitan Council voted to spend the $117,000 to add Somali to the machines, after listening to arguments that some 4,000 Somali immigrants live within a mile of a rail line.

"Public transportation is by nature inclusive and the Metropolitan Council recognized that. It's all about making mass transit easy and convenient for people, and adding the Somali language was the right decision for this community," said Bob Gibbons, the Metro Transit's director of customer service.

"I think we would be less as human beings if we can't make the decision to serve some people who are working very hard to assimilate into our society," said Metropolitan Council Member Natalie Haas Steffen.

"By making the system as inclusive as possible, we are going to get more ridership," added Council Chairman Ted Mondale.

Learning the languages a city's transit agency has chosen for its ticketing equipment provides insight into the demographics of that region. Cubic programmed New York's ticketing machines to give instructions in English, Spanish, French, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Russian, and Italian, while Vancouver, B.C.'s machines were programmed in English, French, German, Punjabi, Chinese and Japanese. In London, Cubic's ticketing machines communicate in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian and Japanese.

Cubic Transportation Systems is the world's largest provider of integrated electronic ticketing systems and has smart card contracts for public transit systems in North America, Europe and Asia.

Every year, nearly 10 billion people use Cubic systems in more than 40 major markets in cities on five continents, including London, Washington, D.C., Hong Kong, Chicago, New York, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Atlanta, San Francisco, Singapore and Miami. As part of the TranSys consortium, Cubic also is supplying the entire automated fare collection system including smart cards for the London PRESTIGE project.

The corporation's other major segment, Cubic Defense Applications, provides instrumented air and ground combat training systems, battle command training, simulations and simulation support for U.S. and allied military forces. The group also produces high technology avionics, data links and communications products for government and commercial customers, and a wide range of technical and logistics services. For more information about Cubic, see the company' Web site at www.cubic.com.