University Times

Staff and faculty volunteers are needed for a pilot program to test Pitt ID cards on the Port Authority of Allegheny County’s new farebox technology.

The program runs May 16-June 17. Volunteers are asked to register with Panther Central at pc2@bc.pitt.edu and agree to record on a form the routes, stops and times of their rides on Port Authority vehicles during the pilot test period. The goal is to ensure that valid Pitt IDs will be identified as such by the new system.

In recent months, the Port Authority has installed new fareboxes on all its vehicles. (Installation on the T, or light rail transit, is expected to be completed in May.)

The fareboxes are equipped with new “smart card” technology, whereby riders will “tap” their IDs on the farebox scanners, which are mounted on a designated orange square atop the farebox.

Pitt associate director of news John Fedele said: “We are aiming for several hundred participants, but will begin the pilot on May 16 using the number of participants we have at that point. Currently, we have 125 confirmed participants. The May 16 target date is an important one as the full program roll-out [for Pitt ID holders] is planned for Aug. 1. The goal is to work out all potential glitches this summer.”

The system will replace the current process, where Port Authority drivers push a “Pitt button” as riders flash their IDs.

According to spokesperson Jim Ritchie, the Port Authority expects to convert fully to the new system for Pitt riders, including students, on Aug. 1, assuming the technology is shown to work. The transit authority expects to implement the system for the general public sometime in 2012, Ritchie noted.

Pitt issued new ID cards with the smart card technology embedded in them in 2009.

The new system is expected to yield a more accurate count of Pitt riders than the current manual system. It also aims to weed out invalid ID cards, Pitt and Port Authority officials said.

In a related matter, the University’s contract with the Port Authority may be affected by the new technology, as well as by other recent developments.

The University’s five-year contract with the Port Authority for fare-free rides runs through July 31, 2012. Pitt is paying $5.91 million for 2010-11. The agreement calls for Pitt to pay $6.8 million for 2011-12. (See Oct. 11, 2007, University Times.)

But, Port Authority officials have said, under terms of the contract signed in 2007, implementation of the farebox technology triggers a reopener clause in the contract. Instead of Pitt paying a monthly fee, the University will be charged by the ride as it is “scored” by the smart card system. That per-ride fee will have to be negotiated, Ritchie confirmed this week.

“It’s my sense that the contract that’s in place likely will run through next year,” because, in terms of negotiation time, the end of that contract is relatively soon, Ritchie said.

In addition, Pitt could ask for a renegotiation of fees based on the most recent round of service cuts made by the Port Authority, which went into effect March 27. (See January 20 University Times.)

Pitt’s Fedele said, “Obviously, the service cuts have been a challenge for those who travel to work by Port Authority buses, but because the cuts have only been in place for a little more than a month, Pitt has not yet done any formal assessment of the impact on University [employees and students].

“The University’s agreement with the Port Authority does include language acknowledging that the compensation paid by the University is in consideration for a certain level and type of service,” he said.

“The University does plan to consult with the Port Authority regarding service modifications and the impact these may have on our riders. These discussions may also include recommended compensation adjustments if it is determined that service modifications have a significant impact on the University’s overall ridership levels.”

Currently, there are no contract-related negotiations scheduled, Fedele said.

The University’s payment to the Port Authority is subsidized in part by the $90 per term security, safety and transportation fee that Pittsburgh campus students pay. (The balance comes from the auxiliary operations budget of the Office of Parking, Transportation and Services.)

Ritchie said, “We are in continuous discussions with the University on these issues and other things like smart card implementation and routing. The level of service for Oakland has not been reduced significantly.”

—Peter Hart