The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) awarded a four-year, $6.9 million contract to VeriFone Systems Inc. for delivery, installation, and warranty and maintenance services for 1,000 TransitPAY systems to provide real-time bus information to customers on Staten Island buses.
VeriFone will provide ruggedized on-bus hardware, software development, project management, installation, and warranty and maintenance services across Staten Island's fleet of buses.
TransitPAY enables bus tracking via real-time information, with the added benefit of supporting future fare payment applications across a common "open standards" hardware platform.
The solution provides real-time bus location details then wirelessly communicates to an MTA-hosted server. Bus route details are shared with riders via SMS text message, website or bus shelter display to alert riders of next bus arrival time.
Shipments of the systems will begin in August, installation will begin in October and the system is scheduled to be operational on Staten Island buses by Jan. 1, 2012. Bus locator information will also be accessible by application developers who are developing apps for smartphones and tablet computers.