PATCO to test open-fare payment system
21 September, 2010
category: Contactless, Transit
The Port Authority Transit Corporation (PATCO), which operates a 14-mile commuter train line between Center City and Lindenwold, NJ, may adopt an open fare payment system enabling commuters to pay for rides with contactless bank cards, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Upgraded readers from Cubic Corp could be installed at PATCO stations as early as January, according to The Inquirer. As of now the readers only accept PATCO’s chip-embedded Freedom Card.
Cubic is expected to conduct a one year pilot of the system, which has seen success with other transit agencies such as SEPTA and NJ Transit.
Cubic will cover the $680,000 cost of upgrading PATCO’s readers and operating system, while Bancorp Inc. of Wilmington will provide local merchants with prepaid PATCO Visa cards, which can also be used at any retail location that accepts Visa, such as Target or Starbucks.
Read more here.