Bay Area - In Transit - San Francisco Bay Area transit operators test TransLink smart-card system - Brief Article

Railway Age, March, 2002

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission and six Bay Area transit operators on Feb. 1 began a six-month test of the TransLink [R] smart-card system with 4,300 volunteers who routinely use the trains, buses, and ferries of AC Transit, BART, Cal-train, Golden Gate Transit, San Francisco Muni, and Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority.

In calculating the cost of rides, the cards factor in such variables as different fare structures for every transit operator, transfers, routes, lengths of trip, time of day, and discounts, After the pilot program, the cards will he extended to all 21 Bay Area transit systems, which carry around 1.6 million riders a day.