The contactless ticketing demonstration has been implemented as part of the Sacramento Regional Transit District’s efforts to make travelling by public transport easier and more convenient.
The Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) has announced that it has rolled out a contactless ticketing demonstration on the Californian city’s light rail network in collaboration with Littlepay and the California State Transportation Agency’s (CalSTA) and California Department of Transportation’s (Caltrans) California Integrated Travel Project (Cal-ITP), a statewide solution to make travel planning and payments simpler and more cost-effective.
Riders using SacRT’s light rail trains can now tap to pay for light rail fares with a contactless credit, debit, prepaid card or digital wallet. There’s no need to stand in line to buy a ticket or reload a fare pass; they can just tap a card reader as they board. In less than a cond, a green check mark will indicate that their card has been validated for fare payment and that they can take a seat.
“We are always looking for ways to use innovative technology to make using transit easier and more convenient for the community,” said SacRT’s General Manager and CEO, Henry Li. “These devices allow someone to use the same form of payment for their light rail ride and their coffee – simply tap and ride.”
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To celebrate the new contactless fare option, SacRT is offering $1 fares for single rides on light rail during the month of September 2021.
In addition, when tapping to pay, a light rail rider’s daily fare charges will be capped at $7 – the same value as the Sacramento region’s Connect Card Daily Pass – no matter how many times they ride light rail. This means that they can pay as they go until they hit this daily maximum when using the same contactless bank card or mobile wallet throughout the day.
Going forward, the agency is looking into more ways to bring value to riders using the contactless system, such as discount fare options.
Simple fares and automatic fare caps are compelling benefits of tap-to-pay transit, bringing riders a hassle-free payment experience with guaranteed best-price fares. Other advantages include the convenience of using the same contactless payment method for transit as you do for shopping or eating out. With contactless card issuance skyrocketing and the adoption of contactless payments fast-tracked by the pandemic, tap-to-pay for public transit makes sense.
