SEPTA's Smart Card System Could Be Rolled Out By End Of Year
By Mike DeNardo
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - SEPTA says it'll know soon whether riders will see the launch of its electronic fare system this year.
So will the smart card system called 'SEPTA Key' be operating by New Year's Day? SEPTA GM Jeff Knueppel says over the next two weeks the subcontractor, Xerox, will continue pilot tests for reliability:
"It really depends on if the last couple of items in their testing get handled this month. Then, there is the possibility of some start of the rollout of this fare collection system by the end of the year. If not, it should be early in the new calendar year."
Knueppel says the equipment that will allow riders to tap their rechargeable fare cards is just about completely installed.
He says by the end of November, the entire bus fleet should have new electronic fare boxes, and new equipment should be at Subway and El stops by the end of December.