Commerce Supports Metrolinx’s Digital Transformation, Powering Scalable and Secure Ecommerce for Millions of Transit Riders

Rhea-AI Summary

BigCommerce (Nasdaq: BIGC) has launched a new headless ecommerce platform for Metrolinx, the major transit agency serving the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area. The implementation features enhanced security, improved checkout experience, and advanced operational capabilities.

The platform leverages BigCommerce's composable architecture to provide product management, bundling, pricing, and promotions functionality, along with Stripe payment gateway integration. Key features include PCI DSS 4.0 compliance, multi-factor authentication, real-time monitoring, and extensive API integration capabilities.

Positive

• Implementation of secure and scalable headless commerce platform
• Integration with Stripe payment gateway for enhanced payment processing
• Improved customer checkout experience with onsite flow replacing off-site redirect
• Enhanced security features including PCI DSS 4.0 compliance and multi-factor authentication

Negative

• None.

Insights

Enterprise Technology Analyst

Commerce strengthens its position in transit sector by implementing BigCommerce platform for Metrolinx, showcasing product capabilities and expanding market reach.

Commerce has successfully implemented its BigCommerce platform for Metrolinx, the transit authority serving millions of riders in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area. This implementation represents a strategic win in the public sector for Commerce, demonstrating the versatility of their headless commerce architecture in handling complex transit ticketing systems.

The project's technical highlights include a composable architecture that separates the front-end experience from back-end operations, PCI DSS 4.0 compliance for secure payments, and integration with Stripe's payment gateway. The platform supports critical transit retail functions including product management, bundling, pricing, and promotions while providing the foundation for future expansion.

What makes this implementation particularly significant is the migration from an off-site redirect checkout to an onsite flow, which should improve conversion rates - a critical metric for ecommerce platforms. The platform's ability to handle peak traffic volumes is essential for a transit system serving millions, where ticket purchasing can spike dramatically during rush hours or special events.

The partnership with EPAM as the implementation partner indicates Commerce is successfully building its partner ecosystem, which is crucial for scaling enterprise software businesses. This transit authority implementation also serves as a valuable reference case for Commerce to target similar transit agencies globally, potentially opening a specialized vertical market for the company's solutions.

From a competitive standpoint, this demonstrates Commerce's ability to compete in complex enterprise implementations against larger commerce platforms, showcasing their technological flexibility through API integrations, webhooks, and multi-channel capabilities - all increasingly important differentiators in the enterprise commerce space.

Benefits include enhanced passenger checkout experience, operational efficiencies and future-ready commerce platform

AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Commerce (Nasdaq: CMRC), an open, intelligent ecosystem of technology solutions that empower businesses to unlock data potential and deliver seamless, personalized experiences at scale, today announced the launch of a headless ecommerce experience on the BigCommerce platform with Metrolinx, the regional public transit agency serving the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area.

Powered by parent company Commerce, BigCommerce's composable architecture now supports Metrolinx’s product management, bundling, pricing and promotions, providing a robust, secure and scalable platform that enhances the customer journey and streamlines internal operations. The project also includes a seamless integration to the Stripe payment gateway, which provides an extensible framework for adding new payment methods in the future.

“Together with EPAM, we launched a secure and user-friendly online shopping experience for GO Transit by building our site on BigCommerce,” said Alysha Hille, director of digital marketing experience and CRM at Metrolinx. “The new site features enhanced product visibility, simplified the purchase process and improved operational efficiency, all supported by EPAM’s reliable delivery.”

“This combined effort from Commerce, EPAM and Metrolinx significantly improves the experience for GO Transit customers while improving efficiency for Metrolinx and setting the foundation for innovation and growth,” said Al Williams, general manager of B2C at Commerce. “Commerce is proud to have helped deliver improved flexibility and scalability for Metrolinx and its riders and internal teams.”

The BigCommerce platform provides a range of features that EPAM leveraged to deliver a robust and scalable solution, address specific challenges with the previous system and enhance overall performance for Metrolinx.

Project Highlights Include:

• Headless Commerce: Using BigCommerce's composable architecture, the ecommerce framework features a custom front-end experience that ensures stability and security.
• Advanced Security and Compliance: The platform meets PCI DSS 4.0 standards, integrating multi-factor authentication, real-time monitoring and secure payment processing via Stripe. BigCommerce’s cybersecurity features, including data encryption, multi-factor authentication and monitoring of suspicious activity, help mitigate potential security vulnerabilities.

• APIs & Webhooks: Extensive use of BigCommerce's REST and GraphQL APIs enabled seamless integration with external systems, automating workflows and ensuring real-time data synchronization.
• Scalability & Performance: BigCommerce’s cloud-based infrastructure is instrumental in handling peak traffic and large product catalogs without performance degradation. EPAM further enhanced this by implementing CDN and caching strategies.
• App Ecosystem: Tapping into BigCommerce's marketplace, EPAM extended functionality with a CMS integration with Contentstack, reducing development time and costs.
• Multi-Channel Selling: Expanding reach was a key objective, and BigCommerce's native support for multi-channel selling made it possible.
• Improved Checkout: The new onsite checkout flow, replacing the previous off-site redirect, significantly enhances the customer experience and increases conversion potential.
  

“Metrolinx and Commerce have been exceptional partners,” said Robert Burke, senior director of account management at EPAM. “Together, we delivered a seamless migration and built Metrolinx a strong foundation for future growth and innovation. Congratulations to all involved at Metrolinx, BigCommerce and EPAM, for showing what’s possible with the right partnership, delivery team and technologies.”

Learn more about BigCommerce’s headless commerce capabilities here.

About Commerce
Commerce (Nasdaq: CMRC) empowers businesses to innovate, grow, and thrive by providing an open, AI-driven commerce ecosystem. As the parent company of BigCommerce, Feedonomics, and Makeswift, Commerce connects the tools and systems that power growth, enabling businesses to unlock the full potential of their data, deliver seamless and personalized experiences across every channel, and adapt swiftly to an ever-changing market. Trusted by leading businesses like Coldwater Creek, Cole Haan, Harvey Nichols, King Arthur Baking Co., Melissa & Doug, Mizuno, Patagonia, Perry Ellis, Puma, SportsShoes, and Uplift Desk, Commerce delivers the storefront control, optimized data, and AI-ready tools businesses need to grow, serve diverse buyers, and operate with confidence in an increasingly intelligent, multi-surface world. For more information, visit commerce.com or follow us on X and LinkedIn.

BigCommerce,® the Commerce logo, and other brands are the trademarks or registered trademarks of BigCommerce Pty. Ltd. Third-party trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owner.

Media Contact:
Brad Hem
pr@commerce.com

FAQ

What new features did BigCommerce implement for Metrolinx's transit platform?

BigCommerce implemented a headless ecommerce platform with enhanced product management, bundling, pricing, promotions, and secure payment processing through Stripe. The system includes PCI DSS 4.0 compliance and multi-factor authentication.

How does the new BigCommerce platform improve Metrolinx's customer experience?

The platform provides an improved onsite checkout flow (replacing previous off-site redirect), enhanced product visibility, and a simplified purchase process for transit riders.

What security features are included in Metrolinx's new BigCommerce platform?

The platform includes PCI DSS 4.0 compliance, multi-factor authentication, real-time monitoring, data encryption, and suspicious activity monitoring through BigCommerce's security features.

How does BigCommerce's platform handle scalability for Metrolinx?

BigCommerce's cloud-based infrastructure manages peak traffic and large product catalogs without performance degradation, enhanced by CDN and caching strategies.