Maryland to replace tokens with fare card system

Due to costcutting, the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) will discontinue the use of tokens on its system and replace them with electronic fare cards. Tokens are used on an estimated 2% of trips on MTA buses, light rail and subway trains, a figure that has been in steady decline, reported The Baltimore Sun. Tokens will not be sold after June 30, but the MTA will continue to accept them for another year until the new fare card is introduced. The new fare card, which is set to debut next fall, is expected to make boarding faster and easier. According to MTA officials, tokens are costly to produce and difficult to handle. Tokens dropped into fare boxes must be separated from other coins, repackaged and sent back out for sale, said the paper.