Fort Bend County Transit kicks paper tickets to the curb
08 July, 2013
category: Contactless, Smart Cards, Transit
The Public Transportation Department in Fort Bend County, Texas is replacing its current paper ticketing system with new smart card technology.
Similar in size and function to a debit or credit card, passengers will now use the transit’s SMART Card scheme to pay for rides by swiping it through a scanning device that is being placed on all buses. The new scheme will provide passengers a more convenient way to pay bus fares, speeding up boarding and reducing queues. SMART Card distribution is set to start as soon as August of 2013.
The card will function like a re-loadable gift card. Passengers can determine the amount of money to load onto the card and load additional funds as often as needed. Each time the card is swiped through the on-board scanning device, the SMART fare will be electronically deducted from the stored value on the SMART Card. Passengers will be able to add value to the SMART Card from existing ticket sales locations or from any computer.
Transit services include Demand Response services which are shared ride bus services to locations within Fort Bend County. The FBC Transit also offers commuter park and ride services into the Greenway Plaza, Galleria and Texas Medical Center areas of Houston