RTD is implementing smart card technology to manage passenger passes and fares, beginning January 2013.

To get a smart card, MSU Denver faculty and staff EcoPass holders will need to update their pass contracts by Jan. 31, 2013 at Auraria Parking and Transportation Services located in the Seventh Street Garage.

If contracts aren’t updated, passes will be canceled and users won’t be able to get another one until May.

Faculty and staff who are signing up for an initial EcoPass can get started anytime.

The smart card has an embedded chip, which allows riders to simply tap a reader on RTD buses and light rail to validate a ride. It replaces the sticker on employees’ University ID, which remains valid at least until Jan. 31.

Because RTD doesn’t have a specific date for rolling out the smart card technology, “we are telling people to keep the decals on their IDs and their smart cards with them at all times,” explains Cathy Decker, who runs the campus EcoPass program for Auraria Parking and Transportation Services. “We will send out a blast email once we know that RTD is fully operational.”

Employees can re-up their contracts at Parking and Transportation Services by completing a new contract and presenting a University ID and driver’s license.

EcoPass participants who don’t want an EcoPass this semester will still need to visit Parking and Transportation Services before Jan. 31 to discontinue the program. Parking and Transportation Services will refund any money between the time you stop the program and any payroll deduction.

Student cards
Registered students can pick up their smart cards in the Tivoli Multicultural Lounge from Jan. 7-26, 2013. The distribution hours are:

Monday through Thursday: 8 a.m.-7 p.m.

Friday: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Saturday: 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Students must present their University ID and their spring 2013 class schedule to receive their smart card.

For more information, visit the RTD website or call 303-299-CARD.