Twin Cities Metro can't get a working "smart card" system from Cubic Corp.
Cubic Corp, which has failed to deliver a working "smart card" system for Metro and is being sued by Metro, has also failed to deliver a functional "smart card" system for the Twin Cities Metro Transit agency:
It's called the Go-To Card and it was supposed to revolutionize the way people paid for bus and light-rail rides in the Twin Cities. Now 20 months overdue, the only thing that has been revolutionized is Metro Transit's prediction of when it will work.
[snip]
The new system that works like a credit card should allow for quicker boarding, convenience for regular riders and better coordination between bus and light-rail fares.
But nearly everything has gone wrong during the testing:
• A central computer that coordinates the monetary transactions so riders can use the Go-To Card failed repeatedly to work or accurately record transactions.
• The football-shaped readers on buses were not reading the card and emitted an annoying beeping sound.
• Ticket vending machines for light rail, which were included with the Go-To Card project, frequently jammed or deducted money from riders' credit cards but didn't provide a ticket.
The company that signed a $16.5 million contract to develop the system has promised that the glitches will be worked out and the system ready to go by July 1. But Metropolitan Council officials say they've heard it before, and the company is now facing a legal battle with Houston's transit agency for not delivering a similar system.
Houston has terminated its contract with Cubic Transportation Systems Inc. of San Diego.
"We've had that discussion more often than I like to think about,'' Lamb said of ending the contract. "Of course, yes, there is a point where it is not viable. Are we there yet? I don't think so.
"One of the challenges of this project is we are in the front end of new technology,'' he said. "It's hard to predict the difficulties you might run into.''
Meanwhile, Lamb has been in weekly phone contact with Cubic since November and has written numerous letters — some strongly worded — documenting the schedules and conversations.
Cubic is also one of the companies testing new downtown parking meters.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/09/05 09:07 AM | Print |
Previous Entry | Home | Next Entry
ADVERTISING
DISCLAIMER
All content © 2004-09, blogHOUSTON and the respective authors.
blogHOUSTON.net is powered by Nucleus.
Site design and Nucleus customization are by Kevin Whited.