BEA Transit Solutions, Inc. of Maple, Ontario has announced that the BEA smart card-based, automated fare collection (AFC) system has been selected by the city of Lethbridge, Alberta for use on the local L.A. Transit system. The $1.4-million contract includes the supply and installation of a complete AFC system featuring the use of BEA smart card technology for its fleet of 43 transit vehicles. The system is expected to be launched in late 2011.
Lethbridge Transit is the sixth Canadian system to acquire the BEA Transit Solutions system in the past five years. The most recent launch was in Regina, Saskatchewan in December 2010. The complete BEA fare collection system is also installed in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; Kingston, Ontario; and Brantford, Ontario. Metrobus in St. John's, Newfoundland was the first Canadian customer of the BEA smart card system.
The Lethbridge system will include onboard fareboxes and smart card readers, central fare processing equipment, and all communications, hardware and software required. BEA will also provide all on-site training and installation services as part of the contract.
BEA Transit Solutions has been a leader in the supply of state-of-the-art, smart card-based fare
collection systems in the Canadian transit market since its debut in 2005. One of the strengths
of BEA's products is its robust design based on standard components. The BEA system has proven both reliable from a technical point of view and very popular with both transit
customers and the transit systems.
Recent statistics from Regina indicate that approximately 80 percent of all fare transactions are
now completed using BEA smart cards, known locally as the "R-Card". This is providing faster
boarding, improved service and better fare security for the system — a win all round.
The BEA Transit Solutions AFC system is ideal for small and medium transit systems. It utilizes a
PC-based design that uses standard components to help keep costs down. While capable of working in 500-plus vehicle applications, it can be economically employed in small systems with
less than 10 vehicles as well.
The BEA smart card system allows transit systems to incorporate innovative, flexible pricing
schemes, as well as accommodate customer reward programs for frequent riders today.
