With Presto – a contactless, automated fare system developed with the Government of Ontario – the project will result in "significant savings" to the City of Ottawa, according to the release.
"For the transit customer, the Presto card means more convenience," said Alain Mercier, the city's director of transit services. "Riders can pre-pay their fare through a variety of channels, including (the) web (or) pre-authorized bank debits, so it's hassle-free. This also avoids the monthly trip to a vendor to get a new pass. And because boarding will be faster, they will reach their destination faster."
Council on Friday approved the city's participation and contribution towards the system's cost, which will be less than the original 2007 commitment of $15 million, thanks to a $7 million subsidy from Queen's Park.
The City will also be looking for additional money from the federal government to help with the integration costs of OC Transpo and la Societe de transport de l'Outaouais (STO).
"Working with the GTA makes good sense," said Mayor Larry O'Brien. "There is no need to reinvent the wheel when we can take advantage of synergies and others' experience. And the potential use of the same card for other municipal services down the line could deliver added benefits from the technology."
The smartcard system will fulfill several goals, said Ottawa's transit committee chair Coun. Alex Cullen.
"We want to have seamless integration with STO for customers travelling between Ottawa and Gatineau. We also want to accommodate the popular Ecopass program, and integrate with Para Transpo, the current SmartBus system and the O-Train. We can accomplish all these things through this project."
Contactless smartcards are widely used in the transit industry because they allow rapid boarding and have low maintenance costs. Smartcards will also reduce the incidents of fraud since the verification process will be more effective than paper passes and tickets, and because lost or stolen smartcards can be quickly de-activated across the transit system. The open architecture of the system may also have future potential for other municipal services.
Using conservative assumptions, the business case for Smartcards showed that the system will recover its costs in six years, the city said. Over a 10-year period, the city said it would save more than $6 million.
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Quelle/Source: Ottawa Business Journal, 07.12.2007
