New bus fare boxes for small group that uses cash will cost Pittsburgh Regional Transit about $20 million

Pittsburgh Regional Transit expects to spend as much as $20 million on a contract to replace cash fare boxes to collect about $4 million a year in fares.

Jeffrey Devlin, PRT’s chief technology officer, said last month that the current fare boxes have outlived their usefulness and must be replaced on the fleet of about 720 buses. Although a strong majority of riders pay their fares either with a prepaid ConnectCard or through their cellphones, Devlin said, some riders continue to pay in cash, and making sure that continues could be “an equity issue” for low-income patrons.

“The return on investment is a little awkward,” Devlin said in an interview. “It would be really inappropriate to quit taking cash fares. It’s a necessary investment.”

The committee unanimously recommended the full board approve a five-year, $20.9 million contract with the provider Scheidt and Bachmann USA Inc. That German-based firm is the current provider and submitted the highest proposal among the three finalists for the contract.

The board was scheduled to approve the contract at its Sept. 26 meeting, but the item was pulled from the agenda after one of the other bidders issued a formal challenge to the bidding process. Chief Legal Officer Mike Cetra said GenFare LLC of Elk Grove Village, Illinois, filed the challenge the day before the meeting, and the issue remains under review.

The agency could grant the challenge and change the award, deny the challenge and give the contract to Scheidt or seek a new round of bids.

The decision to recommend Scheidt was a surprise because the agency has long complained privately about the company, which was required to maintain the current equipment because it is the sole provider of its style of fare box. The firm routinely has been late in meeting the schedule for previous upgrades and has been unresponsive when the agency has special needs.

“They have definitely improved their response services and their response time in the past couple of years,” Devlin said. “We’re very confident moving forward with S&B.”

Replacing the cash fare boxes is part of an overall program to replace the electronic-based ConnectCard system with a web-based system that will allow riders to use one account to manage all their transit needs. Right now, customers who use their phone to pay fares can also have a separate ConnectCard account, but adding funds to the ConnectCard account often takes two or three days where the new system will be instant.

The new system had been expected to start early this year but has been pushed back to early next year because of delays in trademarking the new card. Equipment testing should begin before the end of the year with a debut expected in the first quarter 0f 2026, Devlin said.

Riders are expected to have at least six months to spend the remaining funds on their ConnectCard. The agency hasn’t announced whether the new cards will be provided for free or there will be a small charge.