Go-To card
Encyclopedia
The Go-To card is a contactless
smart card
used to pay fare
s for bus
, light rail
, and commuter rail lines operated by Metro Transit
and other transit agencies in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota
. The system has significantly sped up boardings on area buses while alleviating wear and tear on existing ticket machine
s and fare boxes.
The Go-To card went into full operation in early 2007.
, but technical difficulties have delayed introduction. Cubic Transportation Systems, Inc. is working under a contract valued at $
16.4 million, but Metro Transit stopped payment at $9.4 million in May 2003 when it became apparent that the rollout would be behind schedule.
Cubic Transportation Systems initially promoted this system as the first contactless smart card installation in the country, but since introduction has been delayed, at least one other system in the U.S. has gone into use. While traditional smart card systems require the card to be swiped through or inserted into a reader, the Go-To card would just require a passenger to tap it against the reading device. This reduces mechanical wear dramatically, and removes the need for readers to be hardened against the sometimes cold and wet climate of Minnesota. Ticket machines on Metro Transit's Hiawatha light rail line
were designed with the Go-To card in mind, and were breaking down more often than expected because of the higher-than-anticipated load on the money and ticket handling hardware.
Before this system was sent into full release, some Metro Transit employees and selected area riders were part of a test program, started in the latter half of 2004, using the cards as they go about their daily business. In November 2004 after five months of service, Metro Transit's general manager stated that the devices only achieved 20% reliability.
Cubic has said that the issues delaying introduction are software problems. Frequently, either the reader or the card does not properly detect when it has been used. About 1,000 devices are in place across the system. Blue football
-shaped readers are already installed in the area's buses. Software for the central computer system, which handles synchronization and how funds are replenished, was not fully operational until late April 2005.
The underlying technology is Philips
' MIFARE
system, implementing the ISO/IEC 14443 (Type A) standard.
On November 15, 2006, Metro Transit unveiled the Go-To card for 2,500 users to use during a trial period lasting until January 31, 2007. By April 2007, Go-To cards were being sold to the general public at Metro Transit stores. It is also possible to buy and refill cards at other locations that sell transit passes, such as some local grocery stores.
students or employees taking at least one credit of courses. The pass is purchased each semester, is only effective for one semester, and has a mandatory $16 (as of Fall 2007) transportation fee not included with the actual cost of the pass. The University of Minnesota has recently switched to the Go-To card system effective as of the Fall 2007 semester which allows for semester renewal up to six years. http://www1.umn.edu/pts/upass.htm
, College of St. Catherine
, Concordia University
, Hamline University
, Inver Hills Community College
, Macalester College
, Metropolitan State University
, Minneapolis College of Art and Design
, Minneapolis Community and Technical College
, Normandale Community College
, McNally Smith College of Music
, and University of St. Thomas
.http://www.metrotransit.org/groupDiscProg/gotocollegepass.asp
Contactless
Contactless may refer to:* Contactless smart card* Proximity card, a contactless integrated circuit device used for security access or payment systems* Contactless payment, systems which use RFID for making secure payments...
smart card
Smart card
A smart card, chip card, or integrated circuit card , is any pocket-sized card with embedded integrated circuits. A smart card or microprocessor cards contain volatile memory and microprocessor components. The card is made of plastic, generally polyvinyl chloride, but sometimes acrylonitrile...
used to pay fare
Fare
A fare is the fee paid by a passenger allowing him or her to make use of a public transport system: rail, bus, taxi, etc. In the case of air transport, the term airfare is often used.-Uses:...
s for bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
, light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
, and commuter rail lines operated by Metro Transit
Metro Transit (Minnesota)
Metro Transit is the transit division of the Metropolitan Council, a regional governmental agency in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area of the U.S. state of Minnesota. Metro Transit is the largest operator of bus services in the seven-county region surrounding Minneapolis and St...
and other transit agencies in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. The system has significantly sped up boardings on area buses while alleviating wear and tear on existing ticket machine
Ticket machine
A ticket machine, also known as a ticket vending machine , is a vending machine that produces tickets. For instance, ticket machines dispense train tickets at railway stations and tram tickets at some tram stops and in some trams...
s and fare boxes.
The Go-To card went into full operation in early 2007.
Problems and delays
It was originally meant to go into service in September 2003 and become the first such system in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, but technical difficulties have delayed introduction. Cubic Transportation Systems, Inc. is working under a contract valued at $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
16.4 million, but Metro Transit stopped payment at $9.4 million in May 2003 when it became apparent that the rollout would be behind schedule.
Cubic Transportation Systems initially promoted this system as the first contactless smart card installation in the country, but since introduction has been delayed, at least one other system in the U.S. has gone into use. While traditional smart card systems require the card to be swiped through or inserted into a reader, the Go-To card would just require a passenger to tap it against the reading device. This reduces mechanical wear dramatically, and removes the need for readers to be hardened against the sometimes cold and wet climate of Minnesota. Ticket machines on Metro Transit's Hiawatha light rail line
Hiawatha Line
The Hiawatha Line is a light rail corridor in Hennepin County, Minnesota that extends from downtown Minneapolis to the southern suburb of Bloomington. It was formerly known as the Hiawatha Line named after Hiawatha Avenue. Major connections on the line include the Minneapolis-St...
were designed with the Go-To card in mind, and were breaking down more often than expected because of the higher-than-anticipated load on the money and ticket handling hardware.
Before this system was sent into full release, some Metro Transit employees and selected area riders were part of a test program, started in the latter half of 2004, using the cards as they go about their daily business. In November 2004 after five months of service, Metro Transit's general manager stated that the devices only achieved 20% reliability.
Cubic has said that the issues delaying introduction are software problems. Frequently, either the reader or the card does not properly detect when it has been used. About 1,000 devices are in place across the system. Blue football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
-shaped readers are already installed in the area's buses. Software for the central computer system, which handles synchronization and how funds are replenished, was not fully operational until late April 2005.
The underlying technology is Philips
Philips
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
' MIFARE
MIFARE
MIFARE is the NXP Semiconductors-owned trademark of a series of chips widely used in contactless smart cards and proximity cards. According to the producers, billions of smart card chips and many millions of reader modules have been sold...
system, implementing the ISO/IEC 14443 (Type A) standard.
Full service
In November 2005, Metro Transit allowed 18,000 trial users to begin using the Go-To card system, with hopes of rolling out the cards to all users by the fourth quarter of 2006.On November 15, 2006, Metro Transit unveiled the Go-To card for 2,500 users to use during a trial period lasting until January 31, 2007. By April 2007, Go-To cards were being sold to the general public at Metro Transit stores. It is also possible to buy and refill cards at other locations that sell transit passes, such as some local grocery stores.
U-Pass
The Metro Transit U-Pass program is a discounted transit pass sold only to University of MinnesotaUniversity of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
students or employees taking at least one credit of courses. The pass is purchased each semester, is only effective for one semester, and has a mandatory $16 (as of Fall 2007) transportation fee not included with the actual cost of the pass. The University of Minnesota has recently switched to the Go-To card system effective as of the Fall 2007 semester which allows for semester renewal up to six years. http://www1.umn.edu/pts/upass.htm
Metropass
Metro Transit transit pass for trains and buses sold at a discounted rate to employees purchased by local companies. http://www.metrotransit.org/groupDiscProg/metroPass.aspGo-To College Pass
Metro Transit pass good for unlimited bus and train rides per semester in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area sold at a discounted rate to eligible college and university students. Participating schools include Augsburg CollegeAugsburg College
Augsburg College is a selective liberal arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Augsburg was named for the Augsburg Confession, the document of Lutheran belief. The school was founded in 1869 in Marshall, Wisconsin as Augsburg Seminary and moved...
, College of St. Catherine
College of St. Catherine
St. Catherine University is a private Catholic university for women located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. There is also a campus in Minneapolis. Enrollment is 5,246 students. With approximately 2,900 bachelor's students, it is the largest university for women in the United States. Its...
, Concordia University
Concordia University, Saint Paul
Concordia University is a liberal arts university located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Concordia University was founded in 1893 and currently enrolls approximately 2,800 students...
, Hamline University
Hamline University
-Red Wing location :Hamline was named in honor of Leonidas Lent Hamline, a bishop of the Methodist Church whose interest in the frontier led him to donate $25,000 toward the building of an institution of higher learning in what was then the territory of Minnesota. Today, a statue of Bishop Hamline...
, Inver Hills Community College
Inver Hills Community College
Inver Hills Community College is a community college located in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota. Founded in 1970, the college is part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System system. The campus consists of nine buildings, as opposed to many community and technical colleges which are...
, Macalester College
Macalester College
Macalester College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was founded in 1874 as a Presbyterian-affiliated but nonsectarian college. Its first class entered September 15, 1885. The college is located on a campus in a historic residential neighborhood...
, Metropolitan State University
Metropolitan State University
Metropolitan State University is a four-year public university located in the Twin Cities of Minnesota, United States. It is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system.-History:...
, Minneapolis College of Art and Design
Minneapolis College of Art and Design
Minneapolis College of Art and Design is a private, nonprofit four-year and postgraduate college specializing in the visual arts. Located in the Whittier neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, MCAD currently enrolls approximately 1,000 students offering curriculum that includes...
, Minneapolis Community and Technical College
Minneapolis Community and Technical College
Minneapolis Community and Technical College is a community and technical college located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The college is located near Loring Park and serves over 14,000 students annually...
, Normandale Community College
Normandale Community College
Normandale Community College is a two-year college located in Bloomington, Minnesota, serving primarily the communities of the southwestern portion of the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area. Established in 1968 as Normandale State Junior College with an initial enrollment of 1,358 students,...
, McNally Smith College of Music
McNally Smith College of Music
McNally Smith College of Music is a contemporary for-profit music college located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. McNally Smith offers a range of diplomas, associate's degrees, and bachelor's degrees in the areas of music business; performance in guitar, bass, drums, voice, keyboard, brass...
, and University of St. Thomas
University of St. Thomas (Minnesota)
The University of St. Thomas is a private, Catholic, liberal arts, and archdiocesan university located in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States...
.http://www.metrotransit.org/groupDiscProg/gotocollegepass.asp