Cubic Corporation has announced that its Cubic Transportation Systems business division was awarded a contract from the State Roadway & Tollway Authority in Atlanta, Georgia to integrate a next-generation farebox system for the Xpress commuter bus service with the back office for the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority Breeze Card. SRTA is the first transit authority in the region to implement this architecture.
"We're so pleased to continue our long-term partnership and service to the regional partners of the Breeze system while ensuring that Breeze delivers the convenience and seamless travel that the system has delivered since 2006," said Jannet Walker Ford, vice president and general manager, Eastern Region, Americas for CTS.
"This is an important step for SRTA's customers who rely on us for reliable, stress-free commutes," said Chris Tomlinson, CEO of SRTA. "The farebox upgrade will also save costs for SRTA through easier repair and increased modularity of the equipment, as we transition to going full Breeze payments and eliminating our magnetic payments."
Cubic's driver control unit (DCU) and contactless smart card reader, designed for flexible configuration, integration and interoperability with third-party equipment, will be integrated into the fareboxes manufactured by Genfare. The DCU provides bus drivers a single logon and operational interface, while the smart card reader enables payment with a tap of the Breeze Card.
The Xpress commuter bus service has an annual ridership of more than 1.8 million passengers and covers 27 routes in 12 metro Atlanta counties.
CTS designed and delivered MARTA's Breeze Card, a card-based automated fare collection system that utilizes Cubic's smart card ticketing technology in 2006. Since then, Cubic has been providing maintenance and onsite support to MARTA and its regional partners SRTA, Cobb and Gwinnett counties and the Atlanta Streetcar. The Breeze Card system currently generates more than 106 million rides annually.
