MARTA has awarded a contract for the installation of a new automated fare collection system to Innovation in Transportation Inc. Customers will be able to use their debit card, credit card or mobile wallet, as well as a Breeze card, to pay the fare at the gates.
The upgrade will also include new fare gates and ticket vending machines at each of MARTA’s rail stations. MARTA’s buses will be outfitted with fare boxes with large digital screens and improved software that will speed up the boarding process.
The new system will integrate bus, rail, MARTA Rapid, and the Atlanta Streetcar, which is currently on its own payment system. Regional transit partners can also be integrated quickly into the system.
Cash customers will be able to load their Breeze cards at the checkout lines of as many as 240 retail locations. Currently, MARTA’s cash customers must first travel to a rail station or justice center to reload their Breeze cards.
“First and foremost, this new, state-of-the-art fare collection system will improve service and provide customers with a better overall experience,” said MARTA General Manager and CEO Collie Greenwood in a press release.
“This is an exciting day for MARTA,” said MARTA Board Chair Thomas Worthy. “We’re often asked when customers will be able to tap their debit or credit card at the fare gate, and they’ll be able to do so with this new system. We’ll also be better positioned to meet the needs of our customers well into the future.”
