Annapolis, MD (7-17-17) Mayor Michael Pantelides announced that beginning today the Annapolis Department of Transportation (ADOT) will launch a new automated fare box system on its bus fleet.
“We are excited to offer this new technology on our buses, which will improve and modernize service for our residents and visitors,” Mayor Pantelides said.
The fare boxes will provide a customer friendly, efficient, and controlled method of handling and reporting fare revenue. "For customers, this new payment system is convenient, reliable and easy to use. For the agency, the new technology will provide more complete and accurate revenue accountability and improve passenger data collection and processing" says ADOT Director J. Rick Gordon.
The new system will accept bills and coins but no change will be provided. Exact cash for the fare is required. All cash transactions will be validated by the electronic fare box. Invalid bills and coins will be rejected.
Bus tokens will not be accepted in any of the fare boxes after November 30th. Unused tokens can be returned to ADOT offices for an equivalent fare card. Riders who need to purchase a 1-Day Pass fare card should request it when boarding the bus. Multi-day fare cards are available at the ADOT offices located at 308 Chinquapin Round Road in Annapolis.
The system will also handle all types of passes, including the barcoded day pass, and smartcards for 7, 30, 90 and 365 days. These smartcards are good for the period specified on them from the day of first use.
For smartcards, it takes a single tap on the fare box to let the driver know the card is valid. The barcode reader on the fare box will scan day passes.
ADOT has been distributing brochures on buses for the past several weeks and demonstrating the fare box at major transit hubs and other high-user facilities throughout the city and county to show riders how to use the new fare collection system. Bus drivers, bus operations staff, and maintenance staff have all been trained on how to use and maintain the new fare box equipment.
The fare box system was purchased from TripSpark Technologies with a grant valued at $483,996. Eighty percent of the grant was provided by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The Maryland Transit Administration is providing ten percent of the funding and local transportation funds make up the remaining ten percent.
For more information on the fare box system contact ADOT at (410) 263-7964.