Transit riders in the Regional Transportation District (RTD) of Denver will soon notice a green experience as the city implements a fare-collection system with Affiliated Computer Services, (ACS), a Xerox company.
Transit riders in the Regional Transportation District (RTD) of Denver will soon notice a green experience as the city implements a fare-collection system with Affiliated Computer Services, (ACS), a Xerox company.
As part of a four-year, US$15 million contract with ACS, public transportation users will receive smart cards free of cost from the city, load them with a prepaid amount and simply wave the smart card in front of a scanner when boarding for a contactless ticket entry. The system consolidates the different fare options used by the RTD and will improve the accuracy, cost and efficiency of revenue collection while also tracking data on ridership and service use.
“The RTD is one of the transportation agencies in the nation with a growing network of rail, bus, and paratransit services,” said Scott Reed, Assistant GM, Communications, RTD of Denver. “With the smart card solution we're improving the service we provide and attracting new customers as well as increasing revenue through more precise fare collection and making public transit attractive to more customers.”
The smart card implementation is expected to begin in early to mid-2011 and will be installed in 350 buses serving approximately 10,000 riders in the Boulder, Colorado area. ACS will equip the RTD with processing and data collection equipment including smart card readers, wireless communications and central data processing equipment.
“The beauty of the smart card solution is that it benefits both the riders and the city,” said Dave Amoriell, Group President of Transportation Solutions, ACS. “Denver wanted to improve the accuracy of fare collection at the PoS, collect and analyze fare collection data in a timely fashion, and reduce its overall costs. For riders, paying fares will be more convenient and boarding time will be reduced.”