USA: Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority has selected INIT to supply a new automated fare collection system.
The AFC 2.0 contract is expected to be signed in late 2023 or early 2024, with an expected value of over $100m for the initial design, installation and deployment, and a similar sum for 10 years of operations and maintenance.
Deployment will take place over the next five years, with AFC 2.0 eventually replacing MARTA’s current Breeze card and mobile systems.
MARTA said AFC 2.0 would be more user-friendly and accept multiple methods of payment, including debit and credit cards and mobile wallets.
It will cover all modes, including bus, rail, MARTA Bus Rapid Transit and the Atlanta Streetcar, which currently uses its own payment system. Other regional operations could be added in the future.
People wishing to pay by cash will be able to load their Breeze cards at 240 retail locations, removing the need to travel to a station.
MARTA will also able to introduce new pricing models, such as employer programmes, senior or student discounts or for special events.
‘First and foremost, this new state-of-the-art fare collection system will improve service and provide customers with a better overall experience’, said MARTA General Manager & CEO Collie Greenwood on October 12, adding that it would enable MARTA ’to further optimise our operations and increase farebox recovery’.
