CDTA Upgrades, Simplifies Fare Payment with Genfare and ‘Navigator’
Capital District Transportation Authority in Albany, N.Y. has never shied away from a technical challenge.
When it came time to upgrade and simplify the fare payment programs, CDTA jumped in with both feet by selecting a first of-its-kind, fully customized, web-hosted Genfare solution that would make the passenger experience as convenient as possible with new software specific to CDTA, smart card and mobile payment capabilities, completely customized point-of-sale (POS) devices, and a “pay-as-you-go” approach that makes the new fare payment system one of the easiest to use.
CDTA’s Navigator system uses a durable plastic fare card onto which riders can pre-load bus fare, tap card over the farebox and the fare is automatically deducted. At $1.30 per ride, Navigator users on the “Pay-As-You-Go” plan save $.20 per ride and are only charged for a maximum of three rides per day. Or, they can choose to pay $65 a month for unlimited rides under the Frequent Rider plan — the same as CDTA’s 31-Day Rolling Swiper card.
The adoption of the new system by passengers since its official launch in January 2017, has been amazingly successful. “The launch has been so successful that we are already moving forward with Genfare on a number of enhancements,” said Guggisberg, “including testing of certain discount and promotional codes, rolling out a smart card for our paratransit customers, and piloting disposable smart cards for riders who use CDTA for shorter periods of time.”
As further proof of the success of CDTA’s innovative and passenger-centric policies, the agency was recently named the Best Mid-Size Public Transportation System in North America by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).
