Automated Fare Media in California
California transit agencies vary greatly in the technology and design of their fare payment systems. Currently, seven fare payment systems based on smart card ticketing operate in the state. Four of these systems are regional, covering numerous agencies across a county or regional planning area, and three are restricted to a single transit agency. All seven systems are closed payment systems that can only process agency-issued fare media. However, the implementation of card readers compatible with international standards by Porterville Transit, Monterey-Salinas Transit and the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District (the most recently-implemented systems), and the intention of agencies in the Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego areas to upgrade to account-based or (account- and standards-based) open architecture ticketing systems creates the potential for interoperability between smart card systems in the near future.
Metropolitan Smart Card Systems
Four of California’s major metropolitan areas have regional fare payment systems based on contactless smart cards. These are the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s Clipper Card (covering 21 transit agencies in the San Francisco Bay Area), the Los Angeles County Metro’s Transit Access Pass or TAP (covering all 26 transit agencies in Los Angeles County), the Metropolitan Transit System’s Compass Card (covering the two main transit agencies in San Diego County) and the Sacramento Area Council of Government’s Connect Card (covering nine agencies in the Sacramento area). All four systems coexist with cash fares and transfer passes.
The first three of the four metropolitan systems use software from Cubic Corporation. These include specially-designed computerized back office systems (MASS for Clipper Card and NextFare Central for Los Angeles and San Diego) for financial settlement and clearinghouse functions (e.g. validation) and MIFARE-based contactless cards as the fare medium or mechanism of payment: Clipper Card uses Mifare Desfire while Compass Card and TAP use MIFARE Classic. The MIFARE technology can be characterized as “card-based” (in that information is mainly stored on the card, with shadow data available from a back office) and “proprietary” in that it does not completely cohere to the international standards on contactless smart cards. This means that expansion of these smart card systems can only occur through the installation of specialized hardware. It should be noted, however, that both Clipper Card and Compass Card are currently in the process of reviewing and soliciting bids for fare system upgrades (respectively). The former system wishes to incorporate more agencies and create an enhanced customer experience, while the latter seeks to replace aging hardware. Both systems are interested in transitioning to an account-based, open architecture model, with media that can be used for non-transit applications or validators that can accept a variety of fare media. Moreover, in May 2017, the Los Angeles County Metro approved a contract modification with Cubic technologies, extending the company’s contract (for the TAP card system) through the year 2024 on the conditions that Cubic upgrade the system to the cloud-based “Nextlink” model, illustrated in Figure 1, which stores customer information in a computerized account (rather than in a specific card). The account-based system will allow customers to pay for non-transit modes (including freeway toll lanes and bikeshare) with their transit account/fare media.
The Sacramento region’s Connect Card system, on the other hand, uses hardware and software developed by INIT (Innovations in Transportation) Incorporated. These include ProxMobil passenger terminals (on light rail trains and busses), EVENDpc retail sales terminals, and a MOBILEvario sophisticated back-office fare management system. The ProxMobil terminal is compatible with ISO 14443 A/B cards used on smart cards nationwide. However, the fareboxes used to validate Connect Cards contain an additional level of encryption that is only compatible with the Agency-issued Connect Card (a Mifare Desfire product)--which receives the additional encryption when activated, making the system closed-loop. The system is also card-based, with changes in data at the back office requiring a manual update of fareboxes.
Figure 2. Illustration of Cloud-based “TAP 2.0” Ticketing System.
Local/Municipal Smart Card Systems
Outside of the main metropolises, the city of Porterville’s Porterville transit currently uses Genfare’s Fast Fare electronic farebox, that processes fare payments by both cash and the contactless “GoCard” smart card, an agency-issued fare media that can be registered and loaded online. The farebox appears to be standards-based, with the capacity to read all ISO 14443-standard cards, NFC-enabled mobile phones, mobile barcodes and magnetic cards. Currently, a “GoCard Mobile Ticketing” app allows customers to buy and store passes on a mobile platform and activate them prior to boarding (resembling a “flash pass” type of technology). However, the city is in the process of upgrading to the Genfare Link farebox, a cloud-based fare card reader that would accept smart cards and contactless bank cards. The farebox would be account-based (with data stored in the cloud) and, likely open. This makes Porterville Transit the most advanced system in California in terms of fare payment architecture.
Monterey-Salinas Transit also uses a Genfare Farebox. The agency issues its own contactless stored-value smart card, called the “Go Card,” which can be reloaded at several outlets in the area: the agency gives a 10% discount to passengers using the card each time they reload. The agency’s farebox was jointly procured with the Santa Cruz Metro Transit District and Santa Clara VTA and at least at the time of purchase, the system’s Smart Cards were interoperable with the former agency’s fareboxes. However, both Monterey-Salinas Transit and Santa Cruz Metro Transit District currently operate closed fare payment systems: Monterey-Salinas Transit’s fareboxes only accept the agency’s own GoCards and (magnetic stripe) paper passes, in addition to cash, and the Metro Transit District’s fareboxes only accept contactless “Cruz Cards”, disposable Magnetic Stripe Metro Passes, cash and Clipper Cards issued through the VTA’s Express EcoPass program.
Magnetic Stripe Cards and Other
In addition, a number of smaller transit agencies throughout the state have electronic fareboxes that accept with magnetic stripe fare cards. These are the most basic non-cash fare and media, and relatively easy to procure, but have limited data storage and insufficient security. For instance, Fresno Area Express and Merced County Transit sell magnetic stripe cards capable of storing either passes or single rides (in the case of the former) or solely passes (for the latter).
It is unclear whether Visalia Transit’s farecards use magnetic stripe or smart card technology. The agency describes the cards as “plastic” and “reloadable,” attributes characteristic of contactless smart cards, and an appendx to a TCRP report lists the agency as amongm many respondents to a survey (of transit agencies) that used “contactless (or other) electronic payment system.” Regardless of their technology, the agencies’ farecards, which only be used to store transit passes, link to an online account, from which patrons can add value. Visalia Transit’s riders can use their farecards qualify for discounts at businesses that range from restaurants to hoverboard stores