SEPTA hosts potential vendors for new fare system
17 December, 2008
category: Contactless, Financial, Transit
A bid request by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority for the design of its new contactless smart card fare payment system has attracted interest from vendors as far away as France, Spain, Germany, China, Korea and Turkey. More than 80 interested parties visited SEPTA this week for two days of station and facility tours that included an overview of the project and a visit to various SEPTA locations.
The event was designed to give vendors an understanding of how SEPTA’s new payment technology is to be integrated into its current infrastructure. The tour included travel aboard the SEPTA system to observe its stations, garages and parking lots as well as information gathering on SEPTA’s current sales and revenue collection system.
SEPTA issued its request for proposal in early November and will accept bids until March 17. SEPTA also would like bidders to include innovative financing plans as a means for SEPTA to pay for the project and to develop regional compatibility with other area transit providers. SEPTA expects to award a contract in June or July.
The agency expects its payments technology to offer passengers several payment options including contactless transactions through a bank card, cell phone or SEPTA-issued card.