The new GFI Odyssey fareboxes, which will replace the 18-year-old boxes on People Mover’s 52-bus fleet next month, will still accept coins and currency to pay cash fares. They will also sell day passes for immediate use, which will expire at midnight on the date of their issue.
New card-based options include single-ride and 20-ride tickets, which will be expended as they are used. Day passes and monthly passes can be pre-purchased and won’t begin to expire until they are first used. In addition, a new Smart Card can be used to hold multiple tickets or passes, but not both simultaneously.
Passes and tickets will be available at all current People Mover outlet locations. A cash-only ticket vending machine in the Downtown Transit Center at 700 W. 6th Ave. will sell tickets, passes and Smart Cards, as well as allowing riders to reload Smart Cards with passes or tickets.
People Mover says the new fareboxes offer increased opportunities to implement flexible fare types and employer incentive programs, as well as decreased maintenance costs due to their lack of moving parts.“We are excited to roll out these new fareboxes,” Public Transportation Director Lance Wilber said in a statement Wednesday. “More flexible fares and quicker boarding times will make People Mover more efficient and attractive to our riders. It’s the culmination of efforts to automate and upgrade the various systems that keep us operational. People who have used public transportation systems across the country will find the new fareboxes familiar.”
University of Alaska Anchorage WolfCards, which provide free transit on People Mover to current students, staff and faculty, will also be able to be swiped through the new fareboxes. Free rides are also available to current students, staff and faculty from Alaska Pacific University and Anchorage Charter College who show ID badges from those institutions.
Tokens and older day passes without magnetic stripes can be traded for ride tickets and new passes at the Downtown Transit Center until Dec. 15.
People Mover has posted a list of current fare and pass prices, as well as a brochure detailing the farebox changes (PDF) on its website.
