The WMATA in Washington, DC, never bothered with MetroCard technology. They went from fare cards straight to SmarTrip cards, an RFID-powered chip that allows for contactless payment. You don’t have wait to swipe the card.
On buses, these SmarTrip cards are particularly useful because the technology allows for a one-touch fare pass-through. No more waiting for someone to figure out how to dip a MetroCard into the reader. (Hint: Follow the arrows, genius.)
Well, the MTA is finally hopping on board the smart card technology train. After a successful pilot program on the Lexington Ave. line incorporating the Mastercard Blink technology, the Authority is ready to try out smart cards on buses. amNY has more:
Rides would be automatically deducted from credit or debit cards, but MTA officials are still figuring out how to incorporate existing MetroCard features, such as monthly passes and transfers, onto the smart card…
“It works on the Lexington line,” said MTA spokesman Jeremy Soffin. “The purpose of the extension is to learn how it would work in a wider usage. There is still a lot to be learned.”
No word yet on which buses are going to be adopted this technology first, but the more, the merrier, I say. There’s nothing quite so irritating waiting on line at a bus stop as someone attempts to put a MetroCard into the reader backwards and upside-down.
3 comments
Boston went straight to that technology too.
I dont really know what you mean by the WMATA never bothered with metrocard technology. Because thats just not true they have almost teh exact same cards as NYC metro card. Later on they decided to add Smartrip cards to the system. They are amazing by the way. The only problem is that they dont allow you to put monthly passes on your Smartrip you just have to have a plain old metro card for that.
LA has also incorporated a touch system. Its by the same company that brough the WMATA Smartrip and its called TAP. They now have it on all of there busses, subways, light rail systems and it will soon be on there commuter rail systems.
Lets see Washington, Chicago, Boston, LA all have touch cards. Hmm why is NYC lagging.
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