The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is planning for life after MetroCards – seeking bids on “a study of existing and new technologies and [recommendations for] a new/fare toll payment system,” according to a recent solicitation for bids.
The MTA has already been testing tap-and-go smart cards, developed in tandem with Citibank and MasterCard, on the Lexington Avenue subway.
And now, in a couple of months, officials said, the plan is to expand the technology to include buses as well.
While the specific bus lines are yet to be determined, officials have already said they would include some 225 buses – serving both crosstown and north-south routes in Manhattan.
The MTA is apparently hoping that the study will uncover something even newer – and perhaps smarter – than the smart cards.
The proposals are due on Feb. 28. Transit officials declined to comment.