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Video: Smartphones May Outsmart MetroCard Swiping
By
John Del Signore
Published Sep 24, 2010
Modified Sep 24, 2010
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By
John Del Signore
Published Sep 24, 2010
Modified Sep 24, 2010
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Swiping is so over. Or it will be, at least for elites with good credit, or basic checking, or one of those fancy "smart phones." Back in June the MTA kicked off a pilot program which gives participating commuters access to select subway, PATH, NJ Transit, and MTA buses with just a tap of their MasterCards. Now Visa has come on board, and the company is testing out "contactless payments" with smartphones.
Commuters with phones equipped with Radio Frequency ID chips (AKA RFID chips, AKA THE MARK OF THE BEAST) would simply pass their device over the same scanner that scans the RFID chip in a credit or debit card. Phones without RFID chips could be retrofitted with a chip sticker on the back; BlackBerrys are already equipped, but iPhone users will reportedly have to buy a special case. (Eventually RFID chip implants will give citizens in good standing access to the transit system with just a wave of their chip-embedded hand.) According to the Post, straphangers who use four participating banks, including Bank of America, are eligible, and an application would deduct fares directly from their bank accounts.
And Reuters reports that Visa is currently testing contactless transit payments in LA, but participating consumers have to buy special prepaid debit cards, which they can tap to ride a subway or bus. The cards can also be used to buy goods or services from other retailers, as well as track the movements of all dissident terrorist sympathizers. Here's a video showing how it works:
Tagged
metrocard
MTA
rfid chip
smart phone
subway
swipe
tap and pass
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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