Scheidt & Bachmann has been awarded a contract by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s (MBTA) Fiscal and Management Control Board to initiate a series of upgrades to extend the life of the existing fare collection system and incorporate several new customer-focused improvements.
The new contract is part of the MBTA’s strategy to transition toward a new system of fare collection that will be implemented in phases with additional opportunities for public feedback.
“We are extremely pleased to continue our ongoing relationship with the MBTA. This new contract will maintain and modernize the fare collection system and will include new features that make riding the T even easier for our customers,” said Margaret Free, regional vice president, East at Scheidt & Bachmann USA, Inc. “The contract demonstrates both the resiliency and ability for continuous upgrades of Scheidt & Bachmann’s systems. We look forward to a continued successful relationship with the MBTA.”
Scheidt & Bachmann is the supplier of the original CharlieCard system which has been the vanguard of smartcard-based fare collection systems since it was introduced in 2006, according to the company, saying it has had one of the most successful adoption rates by ridership of smartcards of any system in North America.
“For more than 15 years, Scheidt & Bachmann has been actively supporting the T and several regional transit authorities with their fare collection systems,” said Scheidt & Bachmann’s FCS CEO Matthias Augustyniak. “We are proud of our role with Massachusetts’ transit systems and the success that has resulted from our partnership. We look forward to the extended partnership with this project, as we continue to work together to implement new, modern technology solutions for the T.”
