Beginning next month, Chattanooga bus riders will be able to pay fares on their cellphones, CARTA leaders said Thursday.
Currently, riders with the Chattanooga Area Regional Transit Authority buses mainly pay fare — $1.50 for a single ride — with cash and coins, and they need exact change. The agency also sells unlimited daily, weekly and monthly passes, but some must be purchased at physical locations and none can be purchased online.
Critics have pointed out that when it comes to fare payment options, CARTA is behind the times. In many cities, including in the South, passengers can pay fare with a bank card, through a kiosk, with a phone application or with a stored value card, which allows riders to load a balance on and deduct from it with each ride.
The new mobile-ticketing system is a quick solution as the transit agency does a deeper review of its technology infrastructure, CARTA CEO Charles Frazier told the CARTA board Thursday morning.