Over the course of the subway system's 100-year existence, New Yorkers used tokens, MetroCards and now smart cards to pay fares.

The use of tokens evolved at a slow pace, finally being phased out for the bright yellow credit card-sized MetroCard. Now, the city has jumped into the faster track.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), along with Citi and MasterCard, launched the New York City Subway Trial in spring 2006. The six-month pilot will test whether a contactless payment system using radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is a faster way for riders to make it through turnstiles to their trains.


No More Swiping
While MetroCards are more convenient than the tokens riders had to carry with them for decades, they still have faults the MTA seeks to alleviate

To purchase MetroCards, riders can either wait in line at employee-operated booths or at vending machines with cash, coins, or credit or debit cards in hand. Lines can be long, especially for riders who are running late.

The MTA looked for room in its budget to upgrade its 10-year-old MetroCard system, said Paul Fleuranges, vice president of corporate communications of the MTA.

The MTA was approached by several firms, which Fleuranges declined to name, and after considering each proposal, the agency chose the MasterCard and Citibank PayPass system -- a contactless, RFID-based payment method, already used in the private sector, at gas stations and fast food restaurants.


The Trial
The New York City Subway Trial, paid for by Citi and MasterCard, is currently open to Citi customers. Participants can use standard credit and debit cards issued by Citi that support PayPass or the smaller, keychain-size payment tags, and can request these cards by calling a Citibank customer service representative. Riders can also create an account online and choose between two options.

The Pre-Pay Fares option allows riders to deposit $20 into their accounts. This option comes with a 20 percent bonus and $24 worth of rides. It also automatically reloads riders' trial accounts when they dip below $10.

The Pay-As-You-Go Fares option allows riders to tap their cards at designated turnstiles and be billed later. The $2 fare is deducted from riders' Citi account each time they tap their cards against the card reader.

According to the MTA's Web site, at least one payment reader was installed in every station along the Lexington Avenue Line from 138th St. Stations, Bronx, through Borough Hall, Brooklyn, and one payment reader was installed at every subway entrance area in Grand Central and Union Square.

Rather than swiping cards through a card machine at the turnstile, riders need only touch their cards or tags to the trial symbol located on the card readers. Embedded within readers is a computer chip that, through RFID technology, securely transmits payment to the MasterCard network.

The card readers display confirmation information and riders are free to proceed. And it's this act of the tap that the MTA considers a timesaver.


Down the Road
It is still too early for the MTA to make any decisions as to whether this is something it will pursue. This is a discussion Fleuranges said would happen only after the trial is over, but the MTA remains open to other options.

"We have always maintained that if another entity wants to come in at their own expense and conduct a trial of their system with us that we would be open to pursuing other options or opportunities," he said.

If the MTA conducts subsequent trials, it is up to vendors to make the first move and present a system that will work for riders.