AlphaCard Blog - Transportation

Chicago B-Cycle uses smart cards for new bicycle sharing program

By Vicky Radcliff|2015-06-23T18:46:20+00:00August 3rd, 2010|

Chicago B-Cycle is joining the likes of environmentally friendly car sharing companies like I-GO and Zipcar with a new self-service bicycle sharing venture. Chicago B-Cycle is initially launching 100 bicycles at six popular locations around the downtown area with additional drop off locations. The company already has successful programs up and running in Denver and Minneapolis.

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University of St. Thomas installs wireless ID card readers in intercampus buses

By Vicky Radcliff|2015-06-23T18:46:24+00:00July 14th, 2010|

University ID card programs come with significant benefits for students. The University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota has come up with a new way to protect one of those benefits, university sponsored transportation, using already existing student ID cards.

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City of Charleston equips city with smart parking meters

By Vicky Radcliff|2015-06-23T18:46:28+00:00July 2nd, 2010|

Residents of Charleston, South Carolina have a new and convenient way to pay for parking when out and about downtown. The city recently revamped their parking meters with smart card readers. All of the roughly 1,800 parking meters are outfitted with the new technology.

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Utah Valley student IDs double as contactless transit passes

By Vicky Radcliff|2015-06-23T18:46:32+00:00May 25th, 2010|

It's fairly common for student ID cards to also serve as passes for public transportation. Often times the card will have a special sticker, or in some cases, the student ID itself is all that's required. As transit payment programs become more advanced however, some schools are changing the ways they integrate student IDs into these systems. Utah Valley University, for instance, is incorporating contactless card technology so that student IDs can function with new card readers installed in Utah Transit Agency (UTA) vehicles. This allows students to carry a single card that works for school applications as well as UTA's new smart card transit pass system.

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Presto! Toronto smart card transit program up and running

By Vicky Radcliff|2015-06-23T18:46:37+00:00May 19th, 2010|

The Greater Toronto Area (GTA) has officially launched its long-awaited smart card transit program, allowing riders of buses and trains to pay their fares with a simple wave of a card. The program, dubbed "Presto", is similar to contactless card programs being launched in other cities, for instance Seattle's new Orca Pass.

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Vanderbilt campus cards now pay for cab rides

By Vicky Radcliff|2015-06-23T18:46:43+00:00May 3rd, 2010|

Vanderbilt University brings us another unique use of student IDs. The school's student government recently unveiled a taxi payment system that enables students to swipe their university ID cards to pay for cab rides. About 200 taxi cabs will be equipped with special card readers for use with the program. 20 cabs will be outfitted with readers for a test run this summer, while the full-blown program will launch in the fall.

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Ottawa targets smart card transit pass program for OC Transpo

By Vicky Radcliff|2015-06-23T18:46:47+00:00March 22nd, 2010|

The City of Ottawa is the latest to consider a switch to smart card transit passes for regular users of public transportation. Similar programs have popped up in other big cities and have worked to provide a great deal of convenience to riders, while also reducing waste. In Ottawa, the proposed program would enable riders to use a single smart card to pay for bus and train fares. The cards could also be used to ride public transit in other Ontario cities. Eventually the cards would be linked to additional applications such as paying parking meters.

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American University tests student ID cards with SmarTrip technology

By Vicky Radcliff|2015-06-23T18:46:56+00:00March 1st, 2010|

Students and staff at American University may soon be able to ride DC trains and buses using their school ID cards. A pilot program is in place to test American University student IDs that are compatible with the SamrTrip tap-and-enter technology currently used for Washington DC Metro riders.

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Transit passes get special Super Bowl treatment in Miami

By Vicky Radcliff|2015-06-23T18:47:02+00:00February 10th, 2010|

Several thousand transit riders in Miami were lucky to get their hands on special commemorative Super Bowl cards last week, good for trips on local-area buses and trains. The collectible cards work just like normal smart card transit passes, only with a colorful design featuring the official NFL and Super Bowl XLIV logos.

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MTA considers smart card transit passes for NYC subway

By Vicky Radcliff|2015-06-23T18:47:07+00:00January 20th, 2010|

New York City's Metropolitan Transit Authority has long considered a switch from paper transit passes to contactless smart cards, and now it appears the change could take place within the next two years. In the current system, riders of NYC subways and buses use temporary MetroCards which feature a low-coercivity magnetic stripe. The cards are good for a specific number of rides, and once those rides are all used up, the cards are worthless. With a smart card system, riders would be able to use the same card over and over, and could add funds directly from their bank accounts online or at special kiosks.

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