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“We’re in that mode of asking,
‘Is the technology up to the
job?’ ‘Could it work in a city the
scale of Chicago and be accurate
enough?’ And then we need to fi nd
out where we are, in terms of social
acceptance, with something
like facial recognition as a token
of travel,” he said.
How agencies get to unifi ed
payment today may be best left out
of their hands. Valdes of the FTA
said a mix of trends and traveler
preferences point to outsourcing
of comprehensive payment, fare
and accounting as a potential
speedy answer for integration.
“Many public transportation
operators believe this would allow
them to focus on core operations
and service while realizing effi -
ciencies,” he said.
And back in Denver, there is
enthusiasm around Go Denver
based on the app’s early adoption
and a budding relationship with
“An ideal
technology
would integrate
advancements
in electronic
payments,
automated and
autonomous
vehicles, as well
as mobile- (and)
web-based trip
planning and
communications.”
-VINCENT VALDES
Regional Transit District. Patton
said the next version of the app —
something that could be introduced
in 2018 — should get a boost in use
from more comprehensive booking
options. And those increased payment
connections in the app may be
desirable to businesses that want to
be linked to new or hidden audiences,
including Denver’s burgeoning
Millennial population.
As Patton put it: “We have
some work to do to demonstrate
that a municipal-sponsored,
regionally-supported solution
can unlock a new market for
these folks, who may never have
thought to use their transportation
service in combination with
something outside.”
Justin Kern is a freelance writer out of
Milwaukee, Wisconsin.