AMTRAN beta tests new fare collection system for transit industry
Customer Benefits
The new myFare system offers benefits to AMTRAN but more importantly it offers benefits to AMTRAN’s customers. The proximity smart card is simple to use. Just tap it on the reader. There’s no more stuffing bills into a farebox or digging for exact change. And the card is reloadable right on the bus, saving customers the hassle of having to renew their cards at a central location. With myFare, customers can feel secure if their smart card is lost or stolen because a simple call to the agency will cancel the card. (The new fare collection system will not trigger a fare increase.)
Benefits to AMTRAN
Transit providers will be able to reduce the cost of handling the cash box each day and increase the speed at which customers enter the bus. The cutting-edge technology provides AMTRAN with an even better understanding of their ridership for service planning and as a result, can make positive enhancements to the bus system based on actual customer usage.
Industry Game-Changer
General Manager Eric Wolf believes that Avail’s new myFare system will be a game-changer for the transit industry because it’s an affordable smart-card solution.
“We’ve heard a lot of promises over the years about utilizing smart card technology for transit,” says Wolf. “Avail’s myFare system delivers on that promise - without breaking the bank. Their tagline is ‘Enhance your rider’s experience,’ and that’s precisely what this technology will do.”
Partnership
Avail’s CEO, Dorsey Houtz, stated that AMTRAN was selected as the beta test site because of the exceptional decade-long relationship between the two organizations.
“AMTRAN is an innovative organization with an engaged and dedicated staff,” said Houtz. “We’ve developed an excellent connection with them that will serve us well in a major project beta test like myFare.”Technology Grant from Congressman Shuster
myFare is the final component of AMTRAN’s Smart Bus project funded by a Technology Grant through Congressman Bill Shuster. The initial component of the Smart Bus project, myStop, which provides real time bus departure information to customers, earned AMTRAN a Technology Award from the Blair County Chamber of Commerce.