ORLANDO, Fla. – SunRail debuted its new platform ticket vending machines and validators on Monday as a part of the commuter train system’s recent ticketing upgrades.
The new machines aim to improve customer service, speed up transactions and provide a wider range of ticketing options, according to the Florida Department of Transportation. They are available at each SunRail platform and there will be ambassadors stationed there to “ensure a seamless transition to the new system,” officials said.
“The new ticket machines retain the familiar purchasing prompts our customers are accustomed to, but now the process is significantly faster and offers more options for selecting rail passes,” David Cooke, FDOT District Five Rail Administration Manager, said in a news release.
Those who have a remaining balance on a yellow SunCard have the ability to transfer funds to either the mobile ticketing app account or to a new blue SunCard, which are available for purchase at the ticketing vending machines.
“Well, it’s really easy to pay now as opposed to putting your card in, now it’s just tap to pay and choosing on the screen so that was easy,” said North Carolina resident Stephanie Helms.
Helms and her family are visiting from North Carolina. She said she thinks it’s important to continue updating our public transportation systems.
“It’s so important, we even talk about it back in North Carolina, like them extending it to some of the theme parks. It would make it so much easier to get around,” Helms said.
These newer cards can be obtained for free until June 21, after which they will be available for a promotional rate of 25 cents until the end of the year. Following this period, the price of SunCards will revert to the standard rate of $5.
This advancement closely follows the launch of a new mobile ticketing app earlier this spring. The SunRail app is free to download and allows riders to purchase tickets up to one year in advance, reload funds and avoid the need to tap on and off at stations.
Officials said that these changes will not affect the process for paper-ticket holders who utilize the LYNX and Votran transfer discount.
To learn more about SunRail or its recent ticketing upgrades, visit the system’s website.
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