Gothamist: Please, MTA, Please Get Smart!

Bill

Mon, 21 Nov 2005 13:34:58 -0500

I assume you meant to use the word "Simplify" rather than the word simply.

mgrass

Mon, 21 Nov 2005 10:21:35 -0500

Down in D.C., certain credit card companies offer SmarTrip technology in their cards ... One card for everything. Now if only WMATA had enough credit for more train cars and more Metrorail lines ...

notfornothing

Mon, 21 Nov 2005 09:53:47 -0500

Not for nothing, but I think putting the word "smart" next to the acronym "MTA" is one of them oxymorons. Kalikow will have to commission a 14 separate committees to study it, 32 companies to mess up the bid, and $130 billion to implement the program. And at the end of it all, Reuter will then say it will take 5 years, uh, he means, 5 months, uh, he means, 5 days, to get it going.

Publius

Mon, 21 Nov 2005 09:48:38 -0500

London Transport's Oyster Card is also an excellent smart card technology.

timThompson

Mon, 21 Nov 2005 09:09:49 -0500

Oops. That link was http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/blink.htm. Beats me how I screwed it up.

timThompson

Mon, 21 Nov 2005 09:08:53 -0500

I think this is more like how the MTA smart cards will work (RFID). My main concerns are that a.) someone will figure out how to steal your MTA ID wirelessly and b.) that the RFID in the MTA card will interfere with the RFID card I use to get into my office.

Matt

Mon, 21 Nov 2005 08:58:22 -0500

The How Stuff Works link to Smart Cards actually explains the workings of a different type of smart card, one that requires contact... you know, the one where you can see that gold-colored chip embedded on it. The ones that the MTA want to use are contactless and work differently than those explained on that page.

mk

Mon, 21 Nov 2005 08:30:44 -0500

Another good thing about the smart card: it would finally fix the "metrocard bending" epidemic.

mk

Mon, 21 Nov 2005 08:30:24 -0500

Another good thing about the card: it would finally fix the "metrocard bending" epidemic.