(Updated case study): The chief customer and business development officer for the Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority in the U.S. told Mobility Payments that a phased approach in rolling out electronic payments and quick customer adoption has enabled the agency to get close to its goal of eliminating cash on board its vehicles.
Plans call for the Dayton RTA, the operator of buses, trolleys and paratransit, to completely eliminate cash fares on board vehicles by Nov. 1, agency official Brandon Policicchio told Mobility Payments. The agency is closing in on that target, with cash making up as little as 10% of fare payments on some days this month. That compares with 43% cash usage on board vehicles in May 2020. (See chart below). A final decision to stop accepting on-board cash will be made by the agency’s board.
“Certainly hasn’t been easy, but I believe we thought this through by planning this in phases, easing customers into it,” Policicchio told Mobility Payments. “We will see if any new challenges arise as we get closer to the date. It certainly helped that our customers were quick to adopt the new system.”
