It's out with the old, in with the new for Chicago commuters as the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) kicks off testing on its swanky new bus farebox system. The move is bound to make the travel experience smoother for those who still pay cash and comes after three decades of the same old boxes collecting fares on city buses. CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. was all about the upgrades, saying, "Updating the farebox systems is greatly needed to modernize the front- and back-ends of our bus operations," in a statement obtained by transitchicago.com.
The high-tech fareboxes boast a shiny new customer display and audio cues to give commuters a heads-up, much like the Ventra card system used on trains. Of course, these aren't just some fancy-looking machines; they're designed to quickly report ridership totals and cash flow, and even to flag up when they're hitting a snag, which will allow the CTA to more efficiently collect and analyze data. This, they say, is the key to continuously bettering the daily commute for Chicagoans.
A fleet of 100 buses from the Chicago Avenue Garage, servicing popular routes like #12 Roosevelt and #20 Madison, will serve as the guinea pigs for this technology through spring. If all goes well, the rest of CTA's more than 1,800 buses will get their systems starting in summer and wrapping up by year's end.
The cost of these high-tech gizmos isn't chump change, though. CTA dropped a cool $41 million after granting Scheidt & Bachmann the contract in October 2022 – a bargain won after a competitive tussle for the job. It's a package deal: new equipment, the brains behind it, and installation, plus a five-year warranty and support, with an option to extend if things go smoothly.
