SEPTA has pushed back awarding a contract for its new fare system until next month so it can further study the bidders.
Officials were expected to finally announce the recipient of the $100 million-plus contract on Thursday, but said they want to do due diligence to reduce the potential for any court challenges after the contract has been awarded. The system will replace tokens and paper transfers and allow riders to pay using cell phones, debit cards and other smart-card technology.
“A challenge ends up spending a lot of time and a lot of money,” said SEPTA spokesman Richard Maloney. “We want to make sure our process is as perfect as we can make it.”
The new fare system is expected to take a few years to install. Questions remain about changes to the fare system on Regional Rail lines, but SEPTA has said those discussions would not delay the award of a contract.
