Technological advances in fare collection beyond the traditional tickets and tokens have allowed transit authorities worldwide to introduce new systems that can more effectively meet those customer needs. For instance, it has been more than two decades that magnetic tickets and cards have been used in the transit environment. More promising for transit is the advent of smart card technology. The paper reviews some of the variations available and the advantages to be gained from introducing this technology to transit systems, customers, drivers and society. Particularly in light of the major infrastructure expenditures involved and the variety of stakeholders, it is essential that certain strategic issues be addressed before the introduction of new technologies. The paper identifies some of these key issues and offers some potential innovative approaches. (A)
Abstract