MBTA's $723M Charlie Card Replacement Plan Approved

BOSTON, MA — The Charlie Card is officially waving goodbye.

As Patch reported last month, the MBTA will institute a major fare collection overhaul that will see the Charlie Card phased out by 2020 and an increasingly cashless system take hold. The MBTA's fiscal control board on Monday approved a 13-year, $723 million contract for the system.

A rider's credit card or smartphone will act as a Charlie Card, allowing one-tap access to trolleys, trains, and buses. Cash will be able to be used to purchase a fare card prior to boarding, but won't be accepted once aboard. Commuter rail riders would tap their phones or cards upon entering and exiting the train to measure distance traveled.

The MBTA said this will speed up what can sometimes be a slog of a system and cut down on costs. It should also cut down on fare evasion, as fare readers would be installed at the rear of buses and Green Line trolleys.

• RELATED: $1 Billion Green Line Extension Approved Monday
  
• MBTA's Hopeful Vision Of The Future
  
• Winter Is Coming, And So Are The New Orange Line Trains
  

"The whole point of a fare collection system ultimately is to get out of the customer's way," said David Block-Schachter, the MBTA's chief technology officer, according to The Associated Press. "The system should not be something you notice, it should be there to allow customers ... to get where they are going."

The 13-year contract was awarded to San Diego-based Cubic Corp., which has experiences developing and operating similar systems in major cities across the globe.

Watch Now: MBTA's $723M Charlie Card Replacement Plan Approved

FILE - In this Thursday, June 18, 2015 file photo, a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Green Line subway train moves along the track in Boston. The MBTA launched an online campaign Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2015, asking the public to decide between three designs for paint schemes for the transit agency's new Red, Orange and Green Line trains. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File )