Metro stops paying smart card developer

Metro has stopped paying the company who was supposed to deliver a working smart card fare system:

"We have spent $4 million so far. We have stopped paying," says Metro President & CEO Frank Wilson.

Now, Metro officials say the California contractor behind this technology hasn't delivered what it promised.

"We sent a notice of default to Cubic Transportation Systems ostensibly for failing to deliver a complete and timely smart card system," says Wilson.

This has been going on for a while now. Cubic was supposed to deliver a functioning stored-value card system when the light rail opened. Back in November, Metro hired a consultant to oversee Cubic, and perhaps the decision to stop paying Cubic is the result of the consultant's oversight work.

Hopefully Metro will be able to pursue Cubic to either fix the system that should have been working a year ago, or get back some of the $4 million Metro has already paid for the unfunctioning mess it is currently stuck with.

UPDATE: The Chronicle has more on this story.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/18/05 07:32 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Sphere | Comments (1)

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