ERG and Northrop Grumman Go to Washington
This month the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) selected ERG Transit Systems and Northrop Grumman IT to install and operate a new Regional Customer Service Center for its smart card-based fare collection system, known as SmarTrip.
The project involves the establishment and operation of a smart card customer service center, card management, and the clearing and settling of smart card transactions across 17 transit agencies in Northern Virginia, Maryland and the Washington DC area. The new system will interface with existing installed hardware including equipment from ERG rival Cubic (see ContactlessNews, December 2002 Issue).
ERG will be responsible for the management of smart cards and operation of the data processing system incorporating clearing, settlement, and financial management. ERG will use its existing central computer processing system installed in the San Francisco Bay Area to perform these functions.
The project calls for ERG to operate the system for a period of five years, with two subsequent one-year options. The initial 5-year contract is worth approximately $20 million.
Northrop Grumman IT will be responsible for the distribution of smart cards and operation of the customer service center. Work is expected to commence on the project during the first quarter of 2003 pending approval by the Maryland Transit Association.