Gemalto is providing 3.5 million secure contactless transit smart cards to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) for the program, which is expected to enhance the convenience and speed of service for public transportation in the Boston area.
With CharlieCards, Massachusetts commuters no longer need to use paper tickets to ride the MBTA’s bus and subway system. Instead, they simply hold the CharlieCard close to a reader that instantly deducts the fare from the card or validates their time-based pass, allowing them quick and easy entry to subways and buses.
In addition, CharlieCards can be reused; users can ‘add’ stored value and passes to cards at fare vending machines, fareboxes, MBTA ticket offices and, eventually, online.
The CharlieCard was launched in January 2007 and, by the end of March 2007, Gemalto will have successfully delivered 2.4 million secure contactless transit devices specified for the CharlieCard program to the MBTA.
