The Bay Area’s Smart Card Fare Payment System Russell Driver TransLink® Program Manager Metropolitan Transportation Commission TransLink ®
The Bay Area’s Smart Card Fare Payment System
Russell DriverTransLink® Program Manager
Metropolitan Transportation Commission
TransLink®
What is TransLink®?
TransLink®:
– Single smart card– New way to pay for transit rides in the Bay Area– Will be implemented in two phases.
During the TransLink® Pilot Program, TransLink® works on select routes and at select stations operated by 6 agencies:– AC Transit, BART, Caltrain, Golden Gate Transit,
Muni, and VTA
Why TransLink®?
20+ agencies operate transit in the Bay Area– Modes include bus, rail,
and ferry– Operators provide over
465 million trips to patrons every year
1.5 million transit boardings on an average weekday
What Factors Are Behind TransLink®?
Bay Area residents– 76% of Bay Area voters ranked a universal fare
card as their #1 transportation priority
Legislative mandate– CA Senate Bill 1474 requires Bay Area transit
operators, with MTC, to consolidate and coordinate functions, such as fare payment
Transit operators– Unprecedented coordination and cooperation
between different transit systems
Participating Agencies
BARTBART
MuniMuni
VTAVTA GG GG TransitTransit
AC AC TransitTransit
CaltrainCaltrain
City of BeniciaCity of Benicia
SamTransSamTrans
City of City of Santa RosaSanta Rosa
TransTrans--portationportation
Fairfield/Fairfield/Suisun Suisun TransitTransit
Oakland/Oakland/Alameda Alameda FerryFerry
City of City of CloverdaleCloverdale
City of City of PetalumaPetaluma
LAVTALAVTA
City of City of VacavilleVacaville
City of City of Union Union CityCity
City of City of HealdsburgHealdsburg
TriTri--Delta Delta TransitTransit
CCCTACCCTA
Vallejo Vallejo TransitTransit
MTCMTC
Napa Napa CountyCounty
Oversight and Oversight and development of development of Phase I of Phase I of TransLinkTransLink®®
Participating in Participating in Phases I and IIPhases I and II
Participating in Participating in Phase IIPhase II
How Does TransLink® Work?
The card stores value equivalent to cash (called e-cash), tickets, and/or passesAdd value channels:– Employer programs– Add Value Machines– Transit operator ticket offices– Retail outlets– By phone– By Internet in Phase II
Add Value Machine
Retail Outlet
How Does TransLink® Work?
Cardholders tag the card to the TransLink®
card reader, which deducts the correct fare
Card readers are located on vehicles, on platforms, or in stations
Bus
Ferry and Commuter Rail
Closer Look at TransLink® Devices
TransLink® Service Bureau Functions
Transaction processingCustomer service– Staffs toll-free number;
supports website; administers optional features; processes distribution and refund requests
Manage card distributionOperator and distributor support
Personalized Card
Website
TransLink Data Flows
TransLink Central System
Transaction Delivery Server
Located At ERG
DataWarehouse
TransLink Data Server
Card Interface Device
Located At OperatorAudit
PC
TransLink Card
TransLink Central System
Transaction Delivery Server
Located At ERG
DataWarehouse
TransLink Data Server
Card Interface Device
Located At OperatorAudit
PC
TransLink Card
TransLink® Implementation Contract Scope
Design-Build-Operate-Maintain (DBOM)– Design – Contractor responsible for requirements
capture through final engineering design– Build – Contractor constructs the software,
manufactures equipment, installs the system, and tests the hardware and software
– Operate – Contractor monitors equipment and networks, processes transactions, distributes cards and value, and provides customer service
– Maintain – depot maintenance program for most equipment, on-site maintenance for networked equipment, operator maintenance staff support, and software maintenance
Current Project Status
Phase I Demonstration completeTransLink Consortium establishedPhase II schedule under development and review by transit operatorsPhase II design review underwayFirst Article Testing complete for on-board equipmentPhase II on-board equipment for first operators has been delivered
Phase II Rollout Plan
Phase 2.1 – Existing fleet retrofit and back end upgradesPhase 2.2 – AC Transit and Golden Gate TransitPhase 2.3 – BART, Muni, and CaltrainPhase 2.4 – VTA, SamTrans, and VallejoPhase 2.5 – all remaining operators
Customer Benefits of TransLink®
Eliminates the need to carry multiple transit passes and/or exact change
Automatically grants free transfers, when validCan be personalized to automatically grant discountsOffers 24-hour customer serviceOffers two convenient optional features: Balance Protection and Autoload
Operators Benefits of TransLink ®
Greater flexibility in setting fares
Reduces cash handling
Simplifies fare mediaHarnesses data for service planning, marketing and accountingDecreases passenger boarding time
Facilitates inter-system travel
Contactless system improves reliability
Increases potential for new revenue streams
Future Uses of the Card
Parking– Currently working with City of San Francisco on
outfitting 23,000+ parking meters to accept TransLink® for payment
Access– Pilot program at Booz Allen offices where
TransLink® card is used for building accessJoint Issuance– Continue discussions with banks and other
potential partners to issue cards set up with Autoload
Phase II Challenges
Addressing operator-specific needs while keeping the overall program on schedule
Mitigating cardholder confusion caused by the phased implementation
Promoting the different benefits of TransLink® to different cardholder market segments
Establishing a network of third party TransLink® card and value distributors
Partnership Challenges