WASHINGTON — Metro has taken the first step toward a vision where聽customers聽can pay to ride trains or buses with a smartphone or credit card, instead of a聽SmarTrip.
Metro installed the first new test faregate at Gallery Place-Chinatown ahead聽of a聽pilot program beginning in January. Ten stations and six bus lines will be聽equipped with the new faregates that allow customers to pay with Google聽Wallet,聽Apple Pay, or credit cards with near-field communication (NFC) chips.
“If you can envision a computer you had 20 or 30 years ago, that’s the type of聽faregate we’ve been maintaining since that time. But it’s time to move to the聽next generation,” says Tom Randall, director of Fare Payments at Metro.
“We hope that makes it easier for our passengers and especially visitors to聽use聽what’s in their pocket without having to purchase, acquire and reload a聽specific聽Metro card,” he says.
The pilot program begins in January with 2,000 to 3,000 customers. Riders who聽are interested can still .
Metro聽is looking聽for riders who frequently travel between the 10 Metrorail stations or use the
six Metrobus lines.
“Between now and January, we’re going to make sure all the systems are working聽accurately. All the fares are deducted appropriately, all the transactions聽are聽happening on the back-end in an appropriate period of time,” he says.
Like at Gallery Place-Chinatown, the new faregates are going to be installed聽out聽of the way to make sure other customers do not accidentally attempt to use聽them.
The pilot program will run until June 2015, although the rider testing program聽will last until April.
Where the faregates are is clearly marked. (海角精品黑料/Ari Ashe)
“Primarily, we want to determine that the technical aspects of the system聽are聽working as expected. Certainly, we’re also interested in the customers聽reaction聽to the system. How convenient is it for them? Does it work reliably for them?聽Is it easy to use?” says Randall.
Metro also is working with partners, such as Montgomery, Prince George’s,聽Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax County, to make sure that any technology聽rollout聽can be used on RideOn, The Bus, ART, DASH and Connector buses.
If all the testing goes well, then Randall says he hopes the new faregates can聽open to聽the general public in 2017.
Metro would phase-in the faregates to offer both the old and new systems until聽riders get accustomed to the new system.
The Metrorail stations with pilot program faregates are Shady Grove,聽Eisenhower聽Avenue, Bethesda, Pentagon City, Pentagon, Ballston, Gallery Place (7th & F),聽Farragut West, Navy Yard and Suitland.
Metrobus routes 37 (Wisconsin Ave Limited), X9 (Benning Rd-H St Limited), 39聽(Pennsylvania Ave Limited), K9 (New Hampshire Ave Limited), J4 (College Park-Bethesda Limited), and REX (Richmond Highway Express) will have the new fare聽machines.
Also lots at Shady Grove and Suitland will offer the machines to pay for聽parking.
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