Customers Making the Move to Smart Cards

This article describes the transition from conventional ticketing methods to smartcards in Boston, Atlanta, and Los Angeles. In Boston, the change has been dramatic as the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has switched to smartcards from an antiquated brass token system. The approach with the CharlieCard was to choose appropriate technology, select proper standards, determine customer service prioritization, and to assemble internal structure accordingly. The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority’s (MARTA) smartcard program, called Breeze, cost $135 million; this figure included renovated buses, stations, new equipment, and installation. The Los Angeles Metro’s transit access program (TAP) will partner with 11 local municipal operators to implement its new program, with approximately $100 million in capital costs. Currently this system has distributed 1,500 smartcards, and will soon increase this number to 5,000.