PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — SEPTA is getting ready to upgrade its trouble-plagued fare card system. Later this year, the transit agency plans to install new SEPTA Key card readers on its buses and at subway stations to allow riders to pay their fare using a bar code on their smart phones or a credit or debit card enabled for contactless purchases.
"You will start to see the new readers this fall. There's over 5,000 readers that we have to replace," said Rich Burnfield, SEPTA’s deputy general manager. "You’re looking at late this calendar year, beginning into the next year. You will see it first introduced on the bus network."
SEPTA asked vendors on Monday to submit ideas for how to improve SEPTA Key, as a precursor to upgrading the entire back-end data processing system. SEPTA calls the project SEPTA Key 2.0.
"We want to make sure that we’re at the forefront and able to adapt our system to the changing needs in the industry and in our region," said Jody Holton, SEPTA’s assistant general manager for planning.
The goals of Key 2.0, SEPTA officials say, are to be adaptable to technology changes, to be intuitive for riders, and to provide seamless interoperability with other transit systems. After the upgrades are completed, riders will be able to tap their debit card on the reader to withdraw the fare amount directly from their bank account.
No timetable or budget for the 2.0 project has been established.
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The SEPTA Key cards, introduced in 2016, have a troubled track record. Card readers on buses often fail, and lately riders have complained their Key cards have inexplicably stopped working.
SEPTA’s current card readers run on aging software and don’t have the security certification that the banking industry requires, Burnfield said. When the new readers are in place, riders will be able to pay with a ticket barcode on their phones or through Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay.
"I just look at how I pay for things," Burnfield said. "A couple years ago, I didn’t use Apple Pay. I use Apple Pay now. I use Venmo. I didn’t use Venmo a couple years ago. Technology is changing."
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