DC Metro: We'll Take All Smart Cards

As I reported Monday, the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority supports plans by the Defense Department to use the Common Access Card as a Metro card.

But Peter Benjamin, Metro's chairman, told me he wants to go way beyond that, and allow folks to use almost any kind of contactless smart card that complies with an international standard to pay their fares with a wave of the card over a turnstile.

Metro already has installed readers that support the international standard, and Benjamin envisions commuters and tourists using their debit, credit or ATM cards to easily access the system.

Metro's job, Benjamin said, is to move people quickly, and an "open access" system that accommodates all kinds of smart cards will meet that goal.