The board of directors of the Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) approved its participation, joining San Francisco Municipal Railway (MUNI), Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit), Golden Gate Bridge Highway & Transportation District, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), and Caltrain in granting approval for the regional fare collection and settlement program. The TransLink system is expected to be operational among these agencies within the next two years and full implementation across all Bay Area transit operators is expected soon after. While the Bay Areas Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) gave its approval earlier to move ahead with the project, the formal Notice to Proceed was the final and official action needed to implement the regional fare card system in the San Francisco Bay Area. The project is worth approximately $150 million in revenue and extends ERGs operation and maintenance contract to a total of thirteen years after award of the five-year extension option. TransLink is one of the largest regional smart card-based transit fare collection systems being developed in the United States. When fully operational, TransLink will provide a single payment system encompassing transit systems operating in the San Francisco Bay Area, including buses, ferries, and light, medium and heavy rail systems. TransLink is expected to handle more than 25 million smart card transactions every month. City travelers will only need the TransLink smart card to pay the fare for bus, train, light rail or ferry trips from Gilroy to the Napa Valley, dramatically simplifying mass transportation in the area. ERG will process all transactions and settle payments among operators daily.
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