The Regional Transportation District (RTD) of Denver will implement an advanced fare collection system with Affiliated Computer Services Inc. (ACS), A Xerox Company.

As part of a four-year, $15 million contract with ACS, public transportation users will receive smart cards free of cost from the city, load them with a pre-paid amount, and simply wave the smart card in front of a scanner when boarding for a contactless ticket entry. The new system consolidates the different fare options now used by the RTD and will improve the accuracy, cost and efficiency of revenue collection while also tracking data on ridership and service use.

The smart card implementation is expected to begin in early to mid-2011 and will initially be installed in 350 buses serving approximately 10,000 riders in the Boulder, Colo. area. ACS will equip the RTD with processing and data collection equipment including smart card readers, wireless communications and central data processing equipment.

"The beauty of the smart card solution is that it significantly benefits both the riders and the city," said Dave Amoriell, group president of Transportation Solutions, ACS. "Denver wanted to improve the accuracy of fare collection at the point of sale, collect and analyze fare collection data in a timely fashion, and reduce its overall costs. For riders, paying fares will be more convenient and boarding time will be reduced."