Metro board meeting topics: "smart cards" and Tasers
Rad Sallee went to yesterday's Metro board meeting and reports that Metro's "smart card" system will soon be back in development again:
The Metropolitan Transit Authority board voted Thursday to hire another firm because the original contractor, Cubic Transportation Systems of San Diego, Calif., was fired in March. The agency is seeking in court to recover the $4.5 million already paid to Cubic for the high-tech system that never met expectations.
Metro consultant Richard Lobron said Ascom Transport Systems products have performed well in New Jersey, Boston, Lyon, France, and elsewhere, and won't have to be redesigned for Metro's needs.
Lobron said sensors can respond to the cards' computer chip in a fraction of a second compared with several seconds to read cards with magnetic strips. This automatically deducts the fare from a prepaid amount, like EZ Tags on the county's tollways, he said.
[snip]
Although the Cubic contract was for $8.5 million and the board voted to spend up to $20 million with Ascom, Lobron said the two deals are very different. He said Ascom is charging $9.8 million for equipment and services that go beyond Cubic's offer, such as helping Metro market the cards and operating a help desk to answer users' questions for a year.
The $20 million is a "not to exceed" sum that Metro spokesman George Smalley said would allow for future expansions of the system not covered in the Cubic contract.
And Metro Police Chief Lambert wants more Tasers:
The board also heard a proposal from Metro Police Chief Tom Lambert to buy 140 Tasers, which shoot electric darts that administer a shock. Metro has had 30 of the devices, which cost about $1,000 each, since 2003 and has used them 20 times without serious injury, he said.
[snip]
Lambert said Tasers are intended for use when the alternative is bullets, but board Chairman David Wolff noted that the nonlethal nature of the devices can lead to overuse.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 08/19/05 06:06 AM | Print | Comments (0)
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