SEPTA Board Approves Firm to Support New Payment Technology

The SEPTA board unanimously approved a contract Thursday with LTK Engineering Services for technological support for their upcoming plans to implement a new payment system.

LTK will supply engineering services, information technology support and testing the machines that will be installed for the new payment technology.

“There are some things that SEPTA can do, and LTK will supply the expertise when we can’t,” said John McGee, SEPTA’s director of new payment technology.

The contract was secured after several months of competition, and will amount to $9.1 million over five years. McGee said LTK had both the highest technical rank and the lowest price.

The contract comes in advance of signing a company to provide the hardware and software for the new payment system, which McGee calls “the big contract.” That contract will likely be signed in September or October.

“This is not the major project, but we wanted to have that firm in place so when we sign the big contract, we’re all ready,” McGee said.

The installation and implementation of a smart card system will take several years after the contract is signed this fall, McGee said.