Commuters in New York and New Jersey will receive new smartcards for public transportation
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will soon receive its first one million smartcards as part of a transit upgrade program.
The agency recently reached a three-year agreement with a plastic card provider to ship the technology later this summer. The plastic cards will be available for sale to transit commuters at various Port Authority stations.
The program has been sought and debated for months regarding cost and efficiency for the massive transit systems in New York City.
"This will ensure a consistent and efficient experience for transit patrons by reducing the time they spend at fare gates," said Paul Orloff, marketing director for New York’s smartcard supplier.
He added the new program will "complement the successful SmartLink contactless full-featured smart card already used by many transit riders in the New York/New Jersey area."
The smartcards are designed to adhere to the American National Standards Institute’s regulations on plastic card technology. Travelers in the area will be able to use the cards to deposit funds for mass transit payments on buses, subways and trains.
The agreement to ship the cards to the Port Authority comes as a result of a successful test program for smartcard technology in the area, which began early last month.
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