By Vicki Viotti

vviotti@staradvertiser.com

The brave, new world of Honolulu’s transit future will not be a cashless society, but Whitney Birch hopes it will come a little closer to it, thanks to the “smart card” pass system in development.

“People will still be able to use cash,” said Birch, the fare collection manager at the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation. “With the bus system, 70 percent of users have a pass. If we could get it to 80, that would be great.”

In recent weeks, the city and rail officials announced the award of a $31 million contract to the global ticketing firm INIT to set up and run a smart-card system for the rail. The electronic scanners installed at rail stations and on buses will “read” the card as being linked to a valid account and debit the payment for the fare.

The system is meant to be used on both the bus and rail, and the bus portion is pegged for a rollout in about two years, officials said.

However, the exact timetable hinges on whether the contract is challenged, Birch said; the challenge period will end April 6, and if there is no protest, design can proceed.

Even under the ideal scenario, it’s unclear whether the system could be ready for the proposed soft-opening of the rail system segment between East Kapolei and Aloha Stadium in 2018, as projected by HART. “It’ll be close,” said Michael Formby, director of the city Department of Transportation Services.

The pass system the city envisions is one that other legacy rail systems seek as an upgrade, Birch said. It will enable much more flexibility for the account holder — for one thing, depositing money into the account in real time, even as the bus or railcar approaches.

The cards will be available at retail sites and city offices where bus passes are now sold, and ultimately from train-station dispensers, she said. The rider will wave them before a target at the fare box.

“We’ll be deciding if there’s a signal that goes off if there’s something wrong,” Birch said.