Wednesday, August 27, 2008

OC Transpo SmartCards on their way

According to a story in the Ottawa Citizen, OC Transpo is going to have a SmartCard transit payment system in place by 2011. The system will also be fully integrated with that of STO's buses, which is such a smart idea. From the story:
The cards would store either transit passes or a cash value, with card readers on buses and O-Train platforms. They would be replenished online, by telephone, by pre-arranged direct debit, or at current OC Transpo sales offices and vendors. Enforcement officers would have portable smartcard readers to ensure proof of payment.
What a great idea--even if it will cost $21M. Considering expenses on bus tickets and passes currently must be very high, the SmartCard system might actually be a cost-savings. It'll be a lot easier for bus drivers, too, I can imagine.

1 comment:

Andrae Griffith said...

As I understand it, the underlying architecture for this card was supposed to be Presto, the Greater Toronto Fare Card. If true, this means that the GTA Fare Card will be fully implemented in Ottawa long before its in place in Toronto.

New definition for irony maybe?