Article Highlights
Metro of Los Angeles, one of the largest transit agencies in the U.S., is taking a hybrid approach to its fare-collection system. That is unlike other major transit agencies in the U.S., which have spent hundreds of millions of dollars replacing or upgrading their systems. Metro’s “TAPforce” uses a customized CRM working with SaaS provider Salesforce that is integrated with the agency’s legacy closed-loop TAP card. The approach saves a lot of money, among other benefits, but some question whether it will adequately prepare Metro for the future.
Most of the other large transit agencies in the U.S., like in New York, Boston, San Francisco and Chicago, have spent or are spending hundreds of millions of dollars for bespoke account-based ticketing systems.
• Metro (Los Angeles)
• Cubic
• Salesforce
• Publicis Sapient
Unlike other major transit agencies in the U.S., which have spent hundreds of millions of dollars replacing or upgrading their fare-collection systems, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority has taken a different approach.