New next year: ‘Smart card’ fare collection, WiFi on COTA buses
In yet another step towards becoming a Smart City, the Central Ohio Transit Authority announced Wednesday that all its buses would be equipped with free WiFi by the end of 2017.
COTA initially installed wireless communication technology to upgrade its outdated radios used for internal company chatter, but it turns out those devices can be turned into WiFi hot spots with a few modifications.
The upgrade will cost about $1.6 million.
And by 2018, you can say goodbye to scrounging through drawers for exact chance, because COTA is also implementing new “smart card” fare collection, where riders will be able to electronically load money onto a card used to pay bus fares.
That upgrade will cost a whopping $15 million, but COTA plans to use federal funds from the Smart City grant in order to finance the cost.
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