sf

phase 2 begins in SF]
There seems to be one glitch with the Translink card.......It allows a traveller to travel who has a zero or negative account balance. It does all the arithmetic correctly and reconciles when the traveller reloads.
Each card is to cost $5.
AC transport is first cab off the rank....then.......26 transport agencies



"TransLink program again tries to unify Bay Area transit fares
Andrew F. Hamm
The long-delayed all-purpose commuter ticket program known as "TransLink" is finally getting a large-scale rollout, beginning this month in the East Bay, despite lingering questions.




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Valley Transit Authority officials are concerned about glitches, such as malfunctioning cards allowing free rides, but remain on target for a systemwide rollout in 2007.

TransLink uses a pre-paid card that commuters can swipe when getting on and off a bus or train. The reloadable card can be tied to a credit card, bank account or purchased at participating stores. The card is now being tested by about 1,000 commuters and will eventually work on all 26 Bay Area transit agency systems.

Alameda-Contra Costa Transit will be the first to offer the little green cards and Golden Gate Transit is scheduled to come on board in the spring. Caltrain, BART and San Francisco's Muni system are scheduled for late summer activation while Santa Clara County Valley Transportation System and SamTrans are tentatively scheduled to join the group in early 2007.

Touted as a universal card that would eventually eliminate the need for transit agencies to handle cash, VTA officials admit they aren't sure how many of its riders will use the card.

"We tend to serve a more diverse market," VTA spokeswoman Jayme Kunz says.

Most VTA riders don't transfer from other transit systems and many of those that do, including Altamont Commuter Express and Caltrain riders, already get free transfers onto VTA buses.

TransLink should be able to take over VTA's EcoPass program, which allows employers to offer yearly system passes to their employees at deep discounts, with little trouble.

However, the card's propensity to approve a sale when there is no money left has some transit agency officials worried about lost revenue from free riders. The card will register a negative total and deduct that amount once the card is reloaded, but what if the commuter doesn't do that?

Metropolitan Transportation Commission, which is overseeing the project, is proposing a $5 fee to obtain the card, which it believes will cover short-term negative amounts and encourage people to continue to use the card.