MTA seeking volunteers to test smart card
The Maryland Transit Administration is still seeking about 250 volunteers to help test its new MTA CharmCard, what it calls a “smart” fare card that it hopes will expedite the fare collection process. The MTA plans to introduce the cards in a movfe that would finally match a technology that has been familiar on the Washington Metro system for years.
The folks the MTA is looking for are full-fare cash customers who ride Metro Subway more than other MTA services and who will agree to purchase your fares during the test period from a ticket vending machine at a Metro Subway station Ticket Vending Machine. Riders on senior or disability fares and Commuter Choice Maryland voucher recipients are not eligible to participate in the initial field test. MTA spokeswoman Jawauna Greene said about 250 of the 500 volunteers originally sought have signed up.
Would-be participants can sign up electronically by clicking this link.
The test will run 60 days (Oct. 1 – Nov. 30). At the end of the test period, participants must return their cards to the MTA Transit Store at 6 St. Paul St. Volunteers will receive a free January 2010 monthly pass as a bonus.
UPDATE: In response to a reader's question, no, the CharmCard will not be interoperable with Washington Metro trains and buses during the beta test. But the two systems' cards are expected to be compatible once CharmCard (hate that name) is in full operation.
By the way, this test does mean the MTA is pushing back full introduction of the card its earlier goal of October to the beginning of the year, Greene acknowledged. Better they get it right, I suppose.
Comments
Is it expected that a DC Smartrip card will work on the Baltimore system and a Baltimore card will work in DC? I work in both cities, and man, that would be great.
Posted by: Jim | September 1, 2009 6:12 PM
Jim,
From what's been reported, the cards will be interchangeable.
You can also load traditional "monthly" MTA pass options on them. I can't wait.
Posted by: Jed | September 2, 2009 12:44 AM
They should do a naming contest too. CharmCard? Sounds childish. Why confuse...follow DC's lead and call it Smartrip.
Posted by: Brian | September 2, 2009 8:11 AM
Calling it SmarTrip would make sense so people aren't confused. But when has MTA done anything that makes sense?
I'll be excited to see this happen. I am just curious how it will work for light rail since there are no fare gates. Will I have to use it to buy a paper farecard to show the ticket checker? Or will the ticket checker scan my card? If that's the case, there will be a lot of free rides.
Posted by: Richard | September 2, 2009 9:29 AM
Richard,
I'm guessing that for us light railers, the card will serve more as a fare holder than anything else. I think we'd still have to carry passes but instead of having to deal with money, we'd have the fare subtracted from the balance of the card every time we get a pass at the TVM.
Posted by: The Commuter | September 2, 2009 10:58 AM
Hey, CharmCard is at least better than Maryland Transit Pass (too utilitarian). Heck, CharlieCard must have sounded stupid the first time it went around.
Posted by: Michael Woods | September 2, 2009 10:36 PM
Charm card??? really?
Posted by: Nate | September 3, 2009 8:56 AM
this is from the Maryland Daily Record today:
"(Ed)Cohen was hoping the state would go with a system that automatically calculated how much riders have paid during a given time. For example, a rider who takes three single-fare trips in a day will have paid more than it costs for a daily unlimited ridership fare, so that rider should be able to keep riding for free for the remainder of that day, he said."
That seems to be a huge oversight.
Posted by: Chris | September 3, 2009 9:17 AM
Chris,
I agree it seems like an oversight, however you are able to "load" day, 7 day, and monthly passes onto the card. So if you know you are going to be taking more than two rides, you can just load a day pass on your card.
I guess that's better than nothing.
Posted by: Jed | September 3, 2009 11:13 AM