The Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) is the newest member of the regional TAP smart card system in Los Angeles County designed and delivered by Cubic Transportation Systems Inc., a business segment of San Diego-based Cubic Corp., and an integrator of payment and information technology and services for intelligent travel solutions.
The TAP system is an initiative of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA), which developed and manages the regional automated transit revenue collection system. LADOT is the 12th transit operator in the region to join TAP, and is the second largest bus operator on TAP, after MTA. The DOT runs the DASH and Commuter Express Transit bus fleets serving the downtown LA area and outlying major urban centers.
LADOT is an integral participant in the TAP system and the region, operating more than 300 vehicles, and bringing the total number of vehicles in the region on TAP to 4,435. This new expansion makes LA the largest regional smart card operation in the U.S.”, said Jane Matsumoto, deputy executive officer, LACMTA.
Cubic integrated the onboard smartcard validators independently from the cash collecting fareboxes that allow LADOT customers to “tap and go.” Value stored on the card can be used on DOT buses as well as other TAP-enabled buses run by Metro and other agencies in the Los Angeles region allowing patrons to use one card for completely seamless travel.
Flanked by officials from the city, MTA and LADOT, LA’s Mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa hosted an event on June 25 to announce the TAP expansion to the DOT, heralding the update as, “a major milestone in the roll-out of the TAP system in Los Angeles County.
“The regional smartcard system will give LADOT’s 28 million riders a new option for paying their fares, and making it possible for riders to board more quickly, resulting in faster travel times,” commented Villaraigosa.
Speaking for fellow bus riders, Ramona Hallstead, who has used LADOT services since the early 1990s to get to and from her job with the fire department, added that being able to use one card for all trips will make it easier to use public transit.
“You don’t have to dig for quarters, and TAP saves time and money,” said Hallstead. “I encourage everyone to ride transit.”
