Port Authority, NJ Transit Kick Off Tap-and-Go Payment Trial Run
By Jon Whiten • Jun 1st, 2010 • Category: Blog, News
The Port Authority, NJ Transit and NYC’s MTA are rolling out a trial run of a tap-and-go payment program that begins today.
The new payment system will be available at 11 of 13 PATH stations (not 9th Street or Christopher Street) as well as on the number 6, 80 and 87 bus lines in Jersey City. The system will also be on the MTA’s 4/5/6 subway line at select stations, and on eight MTA bus lines.
The trial, which runs through Nov. 30, is available to anyone with bank cards, mobile phones or bank-issued devices that use either MasterCard PayPass or Visa payWave technology. (However, payWave compatibility won’t be up and running until Aug. 1.)
These tap-and-go devices contain chips and antennas that can communicate directly with an electronic reader; they allow consumers to pay for items with just a tap of the card or device. The Port Authority already uses this technology in its SmartLink Cards, which have grown in popularity since being made available to the public in 2007. It’s worth noting that the new cards and devices accepted during this trial will not work on SmartLink card readers, and SmartLink cards will not work on the specially marked “Transit Trial” readers.
You can simply pay for rides as you go, but the transit agencies are also offering pre-funded accounts that will bring the cost per ride down. A 40-trip PATH pre-fund, for example, will bring the normal $1.75 fare down to $1.30.
For more on the program, click here.
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Jon Whiten is the founding editor of the Jersey City Independent; he now works for a public-policy nonprofit in Trenton.
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