To mark the debut of the new system, Romney and The Kingston Trio performed a rendition of the group's 1959 hit "Charlie on the MTA," which inspired the name of the new fare card.
In the late 1950s, The Kingston Trio sang about the saga of "Charlie," who was fated to forever ride the Boston-area transit system because he did not have the required nickel exit fare. The song was originally written for the 1948 Boston mayoral race to protest a candidate who advocated collecting an extra five cents as people exited the system.
"The introduction of these new automated fare cards will increase the [Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority] MBTA's efficiency and make life much easier for countless commuters and visitors every day," said Romney.
The plastic Charlie Card, which will make its first appearance in 2006, will automatically debit the cost of the passenger's ride at the turnstile or fare box. Transit riders will be able to add value to the card at machines located at MBTA stations. The new Charlie Card will be preceded by the "Charlie Ticket," a paper version of the card, which will be used as the MBTA phases in the automated fare collection system.
The transition to automated fare collection will occur over the next 24 months, with the MBTA first implementing the Charlie Ticket on the Silver Line starting in February of 2005. In the spring of 2005, the MBTA will expand the use of the Charlie Ticket to the Blue Line, and later that summer to the Red, Orange and Green subway lines.
In the winter of 2006, the MBTA will begin to install automated fare collection boxes on buses and above ground green line trolleys. When all the equipment is installed, the Charlie Card will debut. Riders who do not opt for the permanence of the Charlie Card will still be able to use the Charlie Ticket.
The new technology is currently in use in Washington D.C, Chicago, Hong Kong, Seoul, Singapore and London.
"The Charlie Card and the new fare system will dramatically improve ease and convenience for the thousands of people who daily ride 'neath the streets of Boston'," said Transportation Secretary Daniel A. Grabauskas. "This is a great customer service enhancement that will streamline fare collection and improve the way that the MBTA does business."
