Metro is looking for up to 3,000 bus and rail riders to test new payment methods such as contactless credit cards and mobile phones on the transit system.
The Bethesda Metro station is one of several in the transit network that is included in the test, which will begin in January and last about three months Pilot participants will use the payment methods on new fare gates being installed at the test stations.
Metro is looking for riders that regularly travel between the following stations: Ballston, Bethesda, Eisenhower Avenue, Farragut West, Gallery Place, Navy Yard, Pentagon, Pentagon City, Shady Grove and Suitland.
The transit operator says if the test is successful, it plans to replace the current fare gates and vending machines at its stations with the new payment systems. Riders interested in signing up can do so at the payment pilot’s website and chosen testers will be notified in November.
Contactless credit card payment systems are already in place at many convenience stores and retail outlets across the country. The cards have an embedded chip that allows customers to wave them over a reader at a point of sale to pay for something.
The ability to pay by phone is an emerging smartphone technology already in place in many Android phones and recently unveiled as a feature of the iPhone 6. It uses a form of short-range wireless communication to send payment information from a smart phone to a point of sale.
