Smart cards, fares, transit fares, memory cards, payment the feasibility of smart cards for the public transit industry has not been established. There is a perception that smart cards can be used to reduce the total transaction costs associated with fare payment, to improve security, reduce fraud and improve system performance and readership. The objective of this program is to determine the appropriateness of these claims; this will be accomplished by reviewing the strengths and weaknesses of the technologies as they might be applied to different transit marks and operating conditions and draw on the collective experiences of the industry with regard to fare systems. This approach involves conducting dialog literature searches, surveying apta fare collection committee members, working closely with vendors and a few select properties to identify feasibility and possible applications. Res: industry awareness of smart cards and tens to hundreds of millions of dollars of sales of smart cards and readers and potential savings of tens of millions of dollars in reduced fraud and increased effectiveness.
