The Maryland Transit Administration has set an October target for its long-awaited automated fare card system but has deferred its goal of making the service interchangeable with one used on Washington's subway and buses.
MTA spokeswoman Jawauna Greene said Monday that the agency, which had planned to introduce the "smart" card technology in December or January, is moving its target date up in response to customer demand. "They want it now, they need it now."
The cards, which store credits for fares on an embedded microchip, will be accepted on MTA's core services: buses, light rail and the Metro subway. They will not be usable on MARC trains or commuter buses, she said.
The MTA's plans had long called for its cards to be interchangeable with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's SmarTrip cards. But Greene said the MTA has been unable to negotiate a revenue-sharing agreement with the Washington agency and is moving forward with a Baltimore-only system.
Greene said the MTA is adopting a technology that is compatible with the Washington cards, making it possible to integrate the systems in the future.
MTA customers would pay an upfront charge for a card and would add value to it by depositing cash at MTA machines around the region. In Washington, the upfront charge is $5, Greene said, but the MTA has not set its price.
At some point, Greene said, the MTA hopes to upgrade the service to accept credit cards.
She noted that the cards would deduct the exact fare for bus trips, avoiding overpayments by riders who don't have exact change. The fare for a one-way trip on MTA buses, light rail and subway is $1.60. Greene said she is unaware of any plans to raise fares.
Ed Cohen, past president of the Transit Riders Action Council of Metropolitan Baltimore, said MTA riders have been waiting about eight years for the agency to implement such a system. He said the agency was doing the right thing by not waiting until it could resolve its differences with WMATA.
