Despite assurances from Adam Giambrone, chairman of the Toronto Transit Commission (ON), that major US transit properties are actively pursuing open fare payment systems, The Globe and Mail says otherwise:
Touting “open fare” as passenger-friendly technology, TTC chair Adam Giambrone has said cities like New York, Washington, Philadelphia and Chicago are “actively pursuing” this approach, which, he predicts, will make paying fares “like shopping at a retail store.” However, interviews with those cities’ transit authorities indicate that their projects are either early-stage pilots (New York/New Jersey), stuck in the request-for-proposal phase (Chicago) or stalled indefinitely due to budget cuts (Philadelphia).
“We’re not far along at all,” Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (DC) spokesman Reggie Woodruff told The Globe and Mail. And Regional Transportation Authority (IL) senior deputy executive director for planning and regional programs Leanne Redden cautioned TTC to take its time: “It may not be bad to sit back for six to 12 months and see how it plays out, and learn from others’ mistakes.” Link to full story in The Globe and Mail.
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