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TRANSACTIONS NEWSLETTER ONLINE


October 2003

TransLink is slated to go regionwide
Engineered by a consortium involving ERG Ltd. and Motorola Inc., TransLink is slated to go regionwide, allowing riders to use a single card for all their trips.
(Photo: John Blaustein)
TransLink® Smart Card Expands Its Reach
Six Agencies to Install Equipment Along Entire Networks
Twenty months, more than 4,000 cards and over a half-million transactions later, the verdict is unanimous — TransLink® is a winner! Each of the six transit agencies that began testing the MTC-sponsored smart card fare-payment program in February 2002 has now signed on for Phase 2 and will install TransLink® equipment system-wide. AC Transit, Golden Gate Transit and Caltrain were the first to climb aboard the expansion bandwagon, and were joined in September by Santa Clara County’s Valley Transportation Authority, San Francisco Muni and BART.

After proving its mettle on everything from buses and ferries to BART and light rail, TransLink® still had to navigate a few political hurdles — a process capped by a crucial BART Board of Directors action on September 25.

“Phase 2 really solidifies the regional vision for TransLink®,” said MTC Executive Director Steve Heminger. “Together, these six agencies carry the vast majority of all Bay Area transit riders, cover a territory that stretches from Santa Rosa to Gilroy and east to Pittsburg/Bay Point and Dublin/Pleasanton, and connect with nearly every other transit system in the region.”

Phase 2 officially will kick off in the spring of 2004 as TransLink® card readers begin snapping into place throughout Golden Gate Transit’s bus fleet (the ferry terminals were equipped during the pilot phase). The expansion will continue over the ensuing months as equipment is installed throughout the other five agencies’ networks. TransLink® will be extended to the region’s remaining transit operators beginning in 2005.

Thanks to an embedded micro-chip that can store multiple fares, the TransLink® card allows transit riders to easily transfer among participating systems. It also eliminates the hassles of scrounging for change or coaxing threadbare bills into balky machines. A convenient autoload option allows riders to link their TransLink® card to a checking or credit card account.

“Using TransLink® makes my experience more convenient,” commented Daketima Briggs of Cupertino, a participant in the TransLink® pilot program. “I need to carry less cash and it saves time.”

As Phase 2 picks up steam, TransLink® cards will be widely available to transit riders through retailers, transit agencies, employers and the Web.
— John Goodwin

For more information: www.translink.org.

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