Editing Go-To card (section)

==Problems and delays==
The Go-To card was originally meant to go into service in September 2003 and become the first such system in the [[United States]], but technical difficulties delayed introduction.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.smartcardalliance.org/industry_news/industry_news_item.cfm?itemID=794 |title=Minneapolis / St. Paul becomes first U.S. transit authority to implement Philips' contactless smart card technology |publisher=Smart Card Alliance |accessdate=December 29, 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060925044650/http://www.smartcardalliance.org/industry_news/industry_news_item.cfm?itemID=794 |archivedate=September 25, 2006 }}</ref> [[Cubic Transportation Systems, Inc.]] worked under a contract valued at [[United States dollar|$]]16.4 million (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US-GDP|16.4|2003|r=1}}&nbsp;million in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}), but Metro Transit stopped payment at $9.4 million in May 2003 when it became apparent that the rollout would be behind schedule.<ref name=Blake2004>Blake, Laurie (December 22, 2004) "`Go To' card runs into a few speed bumps - Metro Transit's frequent-ride card should debut soon" ''[[Star Tribune]]''</ref><ref>Sullivan, Jack (July 6, 2004) "SMART CARDS NEED STUDY - COMPUTER GLITCHES HOLD UP NEW SERVICE" ''[[Saint Paul Pioneer Press]]''</ref>

Cubic Transportation Systems initially promoted this system as the first contactless smart card installation in the country, but since introduction was delayed, at least one other system in the U.S. went into use ahead of the Go-To card. While traditional smart card systems require the card to be swiped through or inserted into a reader, the Go-To card requires a passenger to tap it against the reading device. This reduces mechanical wear dramatically, and removes the need for readers to be hardened against the sometimes cold and wet climate of Minnesota. Ticket machines on Metro Transit's [[Blue Line (Minnesota)|Blue Line]] were designed with the Go-To card in mind.

Before this system was sent into full release, some Metro Transit employees and selected area riders were part of a test program, started in the latter half of 2004, using the cards as they go about their daily business. In November 2004 after five months of service, Metro Transit's general manager stated that the devices only achieved 20% reliability.

Cubic said that the issues that were originally delaying introduction were [[software]] problems. Frequently, either the reader or the card did not properly detect when it has been used. Software for the central computer system, which handles synchronization and how funds are replenished, was not fully operational<ref>LASZEWSKI, Charles (October 6, 2005) "PASS RIDERS TO TEST FARE SYSTEM - AFTER A BAD START, GO-TO SMART CARDS GET DEBUGGED" ''Saint Paul Pioneer Press''</ref> until late April 2005. In March 2006 Metro Transit sent Cubic a letter of default demanding a plan to correct issues with the {{frac|2|1|2}}-year-delayed system.<ref>LASZEWSKI, Charles (March 29, 2006) "TRANSIT FARE CARD HOBBLED BY KINKS - METRO TRANSIT, VENDOR CLASH OVER LONG-DELAYED SYSTEM" ''[[Saint Paul Pioneer Press]]''</ref>

The underlying technology is [[Philips]]' [[MIFARE]] system, implementing the [[ISO/IEC 14443]] (Type A) standard.