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