Transit agencies, including NJ Transit and Utah Transit Authority, believe that contactless payment systems will help them more accurately plan routes and set fare prices.

What’s new? Not much. Ridership is still high, and funding is still vanishing. Many providers are still looking to technology to cope and some are including new types of vehicles in their fleets. Travel training, which appears to be growing in popularity, may be a partial solution.

Major challenge is the surge of competition that has surfaced in the industry vying for a piece of the high-speed rail industry, which hasn’t materialized yet.

Transit agencies are relieving some of the costs coming from paratransit programs with travel training mobility centers, in-person assessments and more flexible bus routes.

As one component of a comprehensive plan to improve mobility and air quality and decrease traffic throughout the Wasatch Front, the commuter rail line and four light rail lines in the Frontlines Program will add 70 miles to the Utah Transportation Authority's existing 64-mile rail network.

One of the benefits of letting riders pay fares using a smart card-based bank card is it allows the transit agency get out of the ticket business. However, costs are still a problem due to transaction fees charged by the banks offering them.