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CatCard smart chip to be used in UA garages

UA students can use their CatCard's Smart Chip next month to pay for parking at all three visitor garages.

The Second Street Garage, 1340 E. Second St., successfully piloted the CatCard form of payment last semester and have not had any problems so far, said Patrick Kass, director of Parking and Transportation Services.

The other two visitor garages are Main Gate Garage, 815 E. Second St., and Park Avenue Garage, 1140 N. Park Ave. The system will also be in the new garages, Tyndall Garage, north of Coronado Residence Hall, and Sixth Street Garage, slated for completion by the end of the year.

The Cherry Avenue Garage, 1641 E. Enke Drive, is not used for visitor parking.

CatCard Operations Manager Suellyn Hull said the CatCard "reader" in the garage is similar to ones used in the Memorial Student Union U-Mart and Fiddlee Fig.

Parking and Transportation has been using loaned CatCard "readers" since last semester, but Kass said they should receive their own machines on April 10 and will implement them as soon as possible.

The organization is paying $2,490 for the machines, which are located in the cashier's office in the garage.

He said the Parking and Transportation Services staff thought it would help students.

"We just decided it might be beneficial for students, so we tested it and now we're going to implement it," Kass said.

Cash payment can be used in the garages right now.

He said the parking Smart Chip has earned an average of $400 a month for Parking and Transportation.

Hull said the Smart Chip have processed 800,000 transactions since the inception of the program.

"One of the primary benefits (of the Smart Chip) is reducing the cash handling process on campus," she said.

Management information systems junior Chris Fabio said although he has a parking pass he would use his card if he could.

"If I can, I'd definitely use it to just scan my payment," he said.

Aileen Ward, a cashier in the Second Street Garage, said many faculty and students are using the service, especially those who aren't cash carriers.

"It's a really good idea," she said. "A lot of people, they come and they don't take out cash."