The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority has enlisted Accenture to install a new electronic payment system intended to accept automatic payment from current SmarTrip cards, Nextgov reported Monday. Bob Brewin writes that the new system will be based on the company’s Fare Management Solution, the same technology used in Toronto for that city’s transit system.
Accenture was awarded a $184 million contract to carry out the project.
Metrorail trains carry out 218 million trips per year on 106 miles of track, while the Metrobus system makes 132 million trips per year, according to Brewin.
An initial pilot test will occur in 10 train stations, 50-branded route buses and two parking lots, Nextgov reports.
