Thousands of commuters will be issued with a new smart card. The smart plastic card is embedded with a computer chip commuters will load with a dollar value, stored rides or monthly passes.

During the public demonstration phase, TransLink(R) cards will be tested on selected routes and at certain stations of six of the region's largest transit agencies: AC Transit, BART, Caltrain, Golden Gate Transit, San Francisco Muni, and Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority. In preparation for the public launch, MTC and the TransLink(R) Customer Service Center earlier this week mailed out TransLink(R) cards to approximately 4,300 program volunteers. Every card has $3 loaded in TransLink(R) Electronic Cash (e-cash).

Announced at a late 2001 ceremony keynoted by Federal Transit Administration chief Jennifer Dorn, the public pilot program is a major milestone for TransLink(R) and a significant step forward in the effort to create a seamless regional transit network.

"We're excited that so many Bay Area transit riders will have a chance to experience for themselves the hassle-free fare payment that TransLink(R) makes possible," said TransLink(R) project director Russell Driver of MTC.

The six transit systems participating in the TransLink(R) pilot program offer a sampling of the Bay Area's diverse modal mix, everything from ferries to streetcars to buses to commuter rail.

All together, 18 rail stations, 31 bus lines, three ferry terminals, and two light-rail lines have been outfitted with specialized TransLink(R) card-reader equipment. The 4,300 volunteers who have received the cards were recruited because they routinely travel on these TransLink(R)-equipped routes.