The Fayetteville Area System of Transit (FAST) is seeking proposals from qualified vendors to design, install, and maintain a modern cashless fare collection system for its urban transit network. This next-generation solution will enable electronic payment of transit fares through the use of reloadable smart cards and a dedicated mobile application. The system will be account-based, featuring an open architecture designed to be flexible, scalable, and secure to accommodate future service expansion, including ADA Paratransit services.

The primary objectives include increasing transit ridership and fare revenue, reducing reliance on cash transactions, lowering total system ownership costs, and enhancing data access for planning and analytics. Key features will include electronic validation of fare payments by onboard validators, contactless smart card and mobile device NFC payment acceptance, options for secure cash payment and storage, and ADA-compliant design elements such as audio and visual feedback. Additionally, the system must seamlessly integrate with vehicle GPS, automatic passenger counting systems, and enable real-time communication with a central management platform.