MTA seeks volunteers to test new 'smart' card
The Maryland Transit Administration is seeking volunteers to help test its planned "smart" electronic fare card, which is now scheduled to roll out this fall.
The new card will allow passengers to pay the exact amount of their fare out of pre-established accounts by tapping the card against a sensor or the gate or farebox.
The test of the unfortunately named CharmCard -- aren't you all sick of this Charm City this, Charm Ciity that? -- will include local buses and the Metro subway as well as bus and rail transit services in the Washhington area.
The wallet-sized card has an implanted computer chip that stores cash value and account information -- whether the passenger is paying a daily fare or using a weekly or monthly pass. The test is expected to last through the spring, with deployment of the final software this summer and rollout in the fall.
The test, which follows a previous one that was limited to the subway, does not include the light raiil system because the MTA is still wrestling with the question of how inspectors can verify fare payment. Nor does it include MARC or Virginia Railway Express.
Riders who would like to volunteer are being asked to resister on line at www.mtacharmcard.com or to call at 1-888-762-7874.
Those who don't give a hoot about volunteering but who want to suggest a less charm-laden name for the card can simply post to this blog.
Comments
This needs to include Light Rail (and maybe MARC). If you want people to be able to switch modes it's important to make that easy for them.
Posted by: Fritz | March 30, 2010 11:08 AM
Why can't the card (I refuse to call it the Charm Card) simply be used as a payment method on Light Rail? You tap the card to the readers on the Light Rail, and it prints out a one-way ticket.
If you've got a daily/weekly/monthly pass (since I remember hearing that the passes could be loaded), printing out these one-way tickets wouldn't deduct from your money. Of course, you'd have to put some kind of delay system, like 20 minutes or so, to prevent people with loaded passes to simply tap their card over and over and print out one-ways for everyone around. Anything purchased within that 20 minutes takes away from your stored value. Seems like the logical way to do it, instead of having the fare inspectors walking around with handheld machines.
The same basic idea could be used for MARC, but it would require the MTA to develop their own TVMs, and not use Amtrak's. Having MARC conductors going around with handheld verification machines (as is being discussed) is never going to work, especially on the severely overcrowded rush hour Penn and Brunswick Line trains.
Posted by: Justin..... | March 30, 2010 11:21 AM
In Boston, the MBTA has hand held devices that verify payment during the rush, since the Green Line is normally pay-on-board. This may be an example that the MTA could use.
Posted by: Chris | March 30, 2010 11:52 AM
On Houston's light rail system, fare inspectors have handheld readers that can auto-detect whether you've bought a ticket on your smartcard or not. You just tap in at the station, it deducts the cash from your account, and any of the inspectors' readers will read it as containing a ticket for the next 90 minutes (or whatever the time window is). My friend was able to do it without even taking the card out of his pocket -- he just sort of sidled up to the machine and it beeped happily.
If you have a monthly/daily/weekly pass on the thing, you don't even need to tap in at the station.
But if handheld readers are really that big a deal, then Justin's suggestion of having it print a one-way ticket would work just as well. Honestly, it's not rocket science.
Posted by: jfruh | March 30, 2010 1:35 PM
My guess is that the proposed solutions to the Light Rail quandary would result in more equipment to procure and therefore more money appropriated that we don't have right now and further delays.
Nate Payer
TRAC
Posted by: Nate | March 30, 2010 2:30 PM
If they're going to tie it into DC's SmarTrip why not just use the same name? Much better than CharmCard.
Posted by: MarkT | March 30, 2010 3:08 PM
I agree with Mark call it Baltimore SmarTrip. Or EZPass Transit.
Posted by: Brian | March 31, 2010 10:00 AM
Another awesome morning on MARC
The 715AM departure was 40 minutes late. Moments before it arrived, personnel announced that it would be making an additional stop at Odenton. If you've ever had the pleasure of stopping at Odenton, you know why there was a collective groan through the station.
Odenton is a seriously overburdened station and the 715 (normally local stops to BWI, then express to Union Station) is crowded enough.
The 740 -- running 15 minutes late -- was going to make all local stops.
I opted for Amtrak #151 and am $21 poorer for it. But it beats the overcrowding on MARC and additional delays at most platforms because they have to stop twice (so crowded people cannot walk from the front of the train back or visa versa).
Posted by: Melissa | March 31, 2010 3:00 PM
The light rail "problem" seems like an easy fix. Touch the card at the machine to purchase your monthly, weekly or daily ticket which you can then show the ticket taker. Yes, eventually they should have scanners, but for now just have it work like a debit card for paper light rail tickets. Then just touch the card on buses or metro.
MTA can give out the little sleeves like DC does and just tuck your monthly/weekly light rail ticket in the sleeve. Problem solved.
Posted by: Richard | March 31, 2010 6:48 PM
Free account setup and use now, but in 5 years there will be a monthly fee just like the EZ Pass. After all, that's how government works no matter who's in office.
Posted by: Phillip | April 1, 2010 10:28 AM
Hong Kong had an Octopus Card, London has an Oyster Card, why not a Crab Card for Baltimore.
Posted by: Northwest | April 30, 2010 11:10 AM