TAMPA (970 WFLA) -- Tampa Bay Area transit systems are getting ready to roll out a new system that work for bus riders, the way SunPass works for drivers.
Lucien Campillo with Hillsborough County's HART says they're signing up beta testers for the "Flamingo Fare" card and phone app, for a dry run through mid-April.
"It's one fare media that five counties can use to collect fares on buses, streetcars and trolleys," Campillo says.
Campillo says the app will allow riders to use the same payment system on five different transit networks, including those in Hernando, Pasco and Sarasota counties.
Campillo says if you lose a bus pass currently, you're out the money. But with Flamingo Fare, you get a new card and the money you put there, is still in the system.
The dry run goes through mid-April. Campillo says they intend to "test the system till it breaks"... to make sure consumers have the best experience when it launches officially later this year.
They're taking applications for the beta test online, with the number capped at 200.
Photo credit HART used with permission