January 19, 2015

SEPTA begins testing for electronic payment system

Will be operational by end of year, officials say

By Lane Blackmer
PhillyVoice Contributor

Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice

This image shows a SEPTA train.

SEPTA's long-overdue electronic card payment system will begin phase one — the testing phase — in the coming months.

Officials told NewsWorks equipment has been installed in several stations and vehicles for the testing phase.

"We've installed close to 100 turnstiles in the city transit division, close to 50 fare kiosks," said Leslie Hickman of SEPTA. "We've installed about 300 of the validators on the buses, and we're ready to move toward a controlled pilot."

The testing phase will give officials an idea of any bugs the system has to allow for it to be perfected. SEPTA said that the system will be ready for citywide public use by the end of this year and will be ready in the suburbs by 2016.

The system, named SEPTA Key in the likeness of Benjamin Franklin's kite and key experiment, was first announced in 2007 but has been delayed from original launch plans of 2010.

Xerox Corp. was contracted for the job in 2011, and SEPTA estimated the system would be ready to use in 2013. But the company has focused on "getting it right," according to philly.com.

Lane Blackmer
PhillyVoice Contributor