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Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Feb. 1 awarded Cubic Transportation Systems a $20 million contract to provide an interstate "touchless" mass-transit ticketing system.


Cubic would serve as prime contractor for a regional program designed to link payment for WMATA buses operating in Washington, D.C., and parts of Virginia and Maryland with the agency’s existing SmarTrip smart-card fare-collection system.


Regional operators in Virginia and Maryland then would have options that, if exercised, would offer similar fare-collection system pricing and benefits. Cubic’s entire contract could approach $70 million.


"We view this as one of the first steps in creating a completely interoperable transportation system," says Greg Garback, WMATA executive officer for the department of finance and program development.


Currently, subway passengers may use SmarTrip cards to gain access to the subway system and the "fast" lanes in WMATA’s park-and-ride facilities without having to remove the card from their wallets.


"We will have acceptance of fare media across all modes and 13 operating agencies in the region," says Garback.


And, although Federal Transit Administration and Federal Highway Administration still are working through details, WMATA’s plan is consistent with the National ITS Architecture Policy on Transit Projects, which was published in the Federal
Register Jan. 8, 2001.


FTA and FHWA planned to enact the policy Feb. 8, but delayed implementation 60 days to April 8, while the two agencies further review and coordinate the policy.


Meanwhile, WMATA plans to proceed. The agency is looking at regional implementation by late 2002, or early 2003. And work already is under way to create a SmarTrip regional service center, which would reconcile transactions for the various operators.


"It has to be tweaked, tested and certified before we go regional," says Garback.


— Kathi Kube