MARTA AWARDS CONTRACT FOR
NEW AUTOMATED FARE COLLECTION SYSTEM
New Payment System Allows
Customers to Use Debit, Credit or Mobile Wallet at Fare Gates
ATLANTA – The
Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) Board of Directors today awarded the contract for the installation of a new
automated fare collection system (AFC 2.0) to Innovation in Transportation
Inc., or INIT. MARTA has renewed its focus on Service, Experience, and
Expansion, or SEE, and customers will quickly SEE how user-friendly the new
fare system is, allowing multiple methods of payment, including debit and
credit cards and mobile wallets directly at the fare gate without having to use
a vending machine.
“First
and foremost, this new, state-of-the-art fare collection system will improve
service and provide customers with a better overall experience,” said MARTA
General Manager and CEO Collie Greenwood. “And from our side, AFC 2.0 will allow
us to further optimize our operations and increase farebox recovery. It’s a
major win for both MARTA and our riders.”
“This
is an exciting day for MARTA,” said MARTA Board Chair Thomas Worthy. “We’re
often asked when customers will be able to tap their debit or credit card at
the fare gate, and they’ll be able to do so with this new system. We’ll also be
better positioned to meet the needs of our customers well into the future.”
Eventually,
AFC 2.0 will fully replace
MARTA’s existing Breeze card and Breeze Mobile systems and will involve the replacement and upgrading of rail
station fare gates and bus fareboxes throughout the system. The new automated
fare system will be deployed over the next 5 years.
The new AFC 2.0
system will provide many benefits to MARTA and its customers, including:
- A more convenient open payments
system: Customers will be able to use their debit card, credit
card or mobile wallet, as well as a Breeze card, to pay the fare. This
will make the system more intuitive, shorten the fare payment process, and
reduce wait times at ticket vending machines.
- Upgraded faregates: The
new faregates at each of MARTA’s 38 rail stations will be faster and more
reliable.
- More user-friendly ticket
machines: Rail stations will also have new ticket vending
machines that will be more dependable and will do things like provide
exact change in bills rather than just coins.
- Modernized bus fare boxes:
MARTA’s buses will be outfitted with fare boxes with large digital screens
and improved software that will speed up the boarding process.
- An expandable system:
The new system will bring in all transit modes, including bus, rail, MARTA
Rapid, and the Atlanta Streetcar, which is currently on its own payment
system. And regional transit partners can also be integrated quickly into
the system.
- A more adaptable system: The
AFC 2.0 system is “open-architecture,” allowing a variety of software and
apps, such as trip-planning apps, to connect to the MARTA system.
- Improved ability to customize
pricing: The system will allow MARTA to be nimble and flexible
with pricing, whether it’s for employer programs, senior or student rider
discounts, or for special events and promotions.
- An expansive retail network: Cash
customers will be able to load their Breeze cards at the checkout lines of
as many as 240 retail locations. Currently, MARTA’s cash customers must
first travel to a rail station or justice center to reload their Breeze
cards.
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