From: ahk@chinet.com   
      
   hounslow3@yahoo.co.uk  wrote:   
   >On 17.04.16 15:31, John Levine wrote:   
   >>> [Oyster] have allowed Contactless payment using any bank card since late   
   >>> 2012 -- first on buses, then extended to the Underground in 2014.   
   >>   
   >> There are plenty of transit systems in the US with contactless payment   
   >> systems: at least Atlanta, Baltimore/Washington, Boston, Los Angeles,   
   >> San Francisco and Seattle.  PATH even has one, which they accept in   
   >> parallel with metrocards.   
   >   
   >Yes, I know. I know about the Charlie card on the Boston T, for example.   
   >   
   >> But Philadelphia is the first one that's also using regular   
   >> contactless credit and debit cards.   
   >   
   >That's what I was referring to.   
   >   
   >   
   >>> What happened with the New York City Subway's pilot programme to use   
   >>> contactless, or payment keys, in 2006. AIUI, there was a programme at   
   >>> 42nd Street - Grand Central and one other station, the latter of which I   
   >>> forgot.   
   >>   
   >> Funny you should ask.  Just last week the MTA published an RFP for a   
   >> new fare payment system.  It'll allow contactless bank cards and   
   >> smartphones.   
   >>   
   >> http://web.mta.info/nyct/procure/contracts/131308sol.pdf   
   >>   
   >   
   >About time. That system with the magnetic strips is well outdated. I   
   >never understood why they weren't among the first to introduce something   
   >like on Oytser or Octopus.   
      
   What does "outdated" have to do with anything? It either works or   
   it doesn't. Tokens are outdated, but they're cheap and effective and   
   handled exactly the same as coins, one of the cheapest methods of storing   
   value the transit industry ever used.   
      
   --- SoupGate/W32 v1.03   
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