Greater Dayton RTA buses could be rid of cash fares by 2020

The Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority hopes to modernize its payment system and get rid of cash fares by 2020, officials said Wednesday.

More than half of RTA riders have migrated to passes, including monthly and weekly passes, said Mark Donaghy, CEO of the agency.

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The agency will work to become the first major transit authority in the nation to stop using cash, he said.

RTA spends more than $1 million each year collecting and managing cash, and the future holds even more easy and convenient electronic forms of payment, he said.

Customers will be able to load up electronic cards to pay their fares at various locations.

"What we don't want to do is invest more money in something that has a short life span -- we think we can take this to the next level," Donaghy said.

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