In Hong Kong, 95 percent of the population between the ages of 16 and 65 possesses the touch-and-go ‘Smart Card’ transit pass to board the region’s public transportation network.

‘Smart Cards’ in Transit

There are over 207,000 Chicago Card or Chicago Plus cards in circulation used to board CTA buses and trains.  The touch-and-go technology eliminates the need for exact change and deducts a person’s fare from their linked bank account.  This moneyless system often called a ‘Smart Card,’ is growing increasingly popular among transit agencies around the world as an efficient, cost-effective, and time-saving fare collection method. 

Hong Kong’s Octopus Card is multi-dimensional and user-friendly. Passengers can use their card to purchase a newspaper at a kiosk before boarding, buy coffee or a snack outside the train station, or even pay for groceries at the local supermarket. With more than 1,000 registered businesses accepting this form of payment, the Octopus Card extends its tentacles beyond the scope of transit.  This card is so popular and widely used in Hong Kong that in 2006 its usage was extended to two Chinese cities, Shenzhen and Macau.  While Metra, Pace, and CTA all utilize different fare card systems for their services, only Pace and CTA allow the same pass to be used on both of their systems.  Chicago can learn from the success of Hong Kong’s universal fare card and help better improve the connectivity of the region.

Additional Information & Resources

• Smart Cards and Parking – Smart Card Alliance White Paper
• Smart Card Technology Just Got Smarter – Metro Magazine
• Fare Policies, Structures and Technologies: Update – TCRP Report

Photo: Anonymous

NEWS 

Local News

RTA chief chastises state leaders for failure to fund transit and roads – Chicago Tribune“The chairman of the Regional Transportation Authority lashed out at state politicians Monday for failing to work aggressively toward completing a capital spending plan for mass transit and repairing deteriorating roads.” 

Chicago roads may undergo bumpy transition to bus-only lanes – Chicago Tribune“Providing a transit service faster than car travel is imperative. It need not be an impossible dream here in a region on the brink of gridlock, where it takes longer to travel by car than almost anywhere in the nation, transportation experts said.” 

Plan calls for bus-only lanes to reduce congestion – Chicago Sun-Times“The bus-only lanes would cover 10.2 miles, including on Halsted Street from Lake Street to North Avenue; on Chicago Avenue from California to Fairbanks; on Jeffrey from 87^th to 67^th; and on 79^th from State to Ashland.” 

Disabled riders blast Pace – Chicago Sun-Times“Disabled riders at a Pace committee meeting Wednesday complained of three- to four-hour travel times, late pickups, stranded riders and safety problems since service changes took effect March 28.” 

CTA to add 18 routes to Bus Tracker system – Chicago Tribune“The $24 million Bus Tracker program uses the global-positioning system and the Internet to provide real-time information to CTA riders about the locations of buses.” 

World News

Portland mass transit fills ‘er up – The Oregonian“As gasoline creeps towards $4 a gallon, Oregonians are doing three things: buying less fuel, driving fewer miles and, in the Portland area, using mass transit more often.” 

A Transportation Crossroads – Washington Post“If the U.S. government continues with its current transportation policies, it will undermine the social and economic security of our workforce and accelerate global climate change.” 

Gas Prices Send Surge of Riders to Mass Transit – New York Times“Mass transit systems around the country are seeing standing-room-only crowds on bus lines where seats were once easy to come by.” 

Golden Gate Bridge unveils peak-hour toll plan – San Francisco Chronicle“The U.S. Department of Transportation, which is pushing congestion pricing nationwide, set a goal for the Golden Gate Bridge of reducing congestion during the busiest periods so that the average speed on the bridge and its approaches doesn’t drop below 10 mph under the speed limit more than 10 percent of the time.” 

Frustrated Massachusetts drivers try to sell their gas-guzzlers – Boston Globe“Sporty utility vehicles and pickup trucks – symbols of Americans’ obsession with horsepower, size, and status – are falling out of favor as consumers rich and poor encounter sticker shock at the pump, paying upward of $80 to fill gas tanks.” 

HOT lane traffic moving smoothly between Auburn and Renton this morning – Seattle Times“Traffic moved smoothly this morning in the carpool lane of Highway 167 between Auburn and Renton, where solo drivers can buy their way in by paying a variable toll.”

Resources

• Potential Impacts of Climate Change on U.S. Transportation – Transportation Research Board
• The Transportation Challenge Moving the U.S. Economy – U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Contact Information

For comments, suggestions or submissions, please contact Michael McLaughlin, Director of Regional Policy and Transportation, at mmclaughlin@metroplanning.org or 312-863-6022.