Port Authority’s pilot program tests “smart card” technology with new fare collection boxes

Pittsburgh’s Port Authority is running a pilot program through August to test a new way to collect fares on its buses and T cars: smart cards. Riders can use these cards in place of cash when boarding, almost like an ATM or debit card. The fare boxes, provided by Scheidt & Bachmann USA Inc., will then deduct the appropriate amount from each card’s account, which riders can reload at their convenience.

The new technology will also be an improvement for those who would still like to pay with cash. Unlike before, the boxes will actually count and confirm the amount put into them.

The agency wants to catch and correct any problems now before installing the $33 million system on the rest of its fleet in the fall. The authority is also conducting an online survey to determine rider preferences on purchase and use and, in the meantime, hopes the new boxes will bring in some extra money, since the old ones needed constant and costly repairs.

The Beaver County Transit Authority’s board of directors granted approval on June 30 for the agency to join the program, which currently involves 10 Port Authority buses and 12 employees. "I think it's a good step, a step in the direction a lot of transit systems are heading," said Jon Robison, president of Allegheny County Transit Council, the rider advisory board for Port Authority.