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eMoney News

Seattle contactless smart card assessed
13 Oct 2009

The introduction of a contactless smart card in Seattle - allowing residents to pay for a wide variety of goods and services with one card - came around 15 years after the idea was initially generated, it has emerged.

Candace Carlson, Regional Contract Administrator for the Central Puget Sound region of Seattle, explained to Contactless News that a consortium made up of executives from each of the seven transit agencies in the city set up the system six years ago - but the initiative could have been launched sooner.

She claimed that the state of Washington had been trying to find a way of linking Seattle's seven agencies as far back as 1994, which could have resulted in an eralier arrival of the so-called ORCA card, which stands for one regional card for all.

"The state was urging the agencies to make it easy for commuters, which led to technology studies and eventually to selection of the smart card," Ms Carlson explained.

In the UK, a similar-style contactless smart card has just been launched in Bolton, Greater Manchester.

Using an ITSO-enabled pay-as-you-go bus travel purse and technology from eMoney network sQuidcard, residents can purchase various items in shops and pay for travel on over 30 different Arriva bus routes.