All South Shore Red Line Stations Converted To Automated Fare Collection System

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is pleased to announce its latest milestone during the Year of Charlie. As of Tuesday, April 11, 2006, all South Shore Red Line stations will be converted to state-of-the-art fare collection equipment and other customer service enhancements. Tomorrow, North Quincy Station will be the last south shore station to be converted. Patrons using stored value CharlieTickets to travel locally will experience changes in their local travel. Customers will no longer need to obtain a separate warrant that allows for refunds and/or free exits under the MBTA existing fare structure. Rather, eligibility for local refunds and free exits will be automatically stored on a customer’s CharlieTicket. To travel locally, ‘pay-as-you-go’ customers will need a stored value CharlieTicket that contains at least the minimum required entry fare ($2.50 at Braintree, Quincy Adams and Quincy Center; $1.25 at Wollaston and North Quincy). For group travel, customers must use an individual CharlieTicket when entering a station to ensure refund. Upon arriving at their destination, customers must exit through the fare gates before obtaining their refund. At exit fare stations (Braintree and Quincy Adams), eligible CharlieTickets should be inserted into the exit gates for free exit. After passing through the gates, customers can obtain their refund at a vending machine. A South Shore refund will be automatically added back to the stored value ticket. South Shore patrons should note the following important tips: Ø Per MBTA fare policy, eligibility for refunds and/or free exit is valid for 30 minutes from time of entry into origin station. Ø Patrons must retain their CharlieTicket as it will be needed at their destination station. With the ongoing implementation of the new fare collection equipment, the MBTA has begun replacing all valid existing MBTA Senior Citizen and Transportation Access Pass (T.A.P.) IDs for persons with disabilities. For more information, visit www.mbta.com or call 617-222-5438. Construction has commenced at various locations around the system. Additional subway stations will be converted throughout 2006. The Authority’s bus and light-rail fleet will begin to receive new fareboxes in summer 2006. More information is available at www.mbta.com