How much money goes unused in the form of spare change leftover on transit cards around the world? One invention would allow those fares to go to charity instead of washing away in the laundry or at the bottom of the dump.
Sydney Brownstone shares news of a system invented by a London-to-New York transplant named Zander Whitehurst to transfer leftover transit fares to charity. To use the system, "subway riders can simply swipe their cards against a special RFID-reading panel to donate extra change. Tapping the Oyster Card against a “” [sic] panel relieves it of 50 pence, while continuing to press the card against the panel drains the Oyster Card fully."
The RFID strip that enables Whitehurst's invention is not yet available on New York City's Metro cards, but London's Oyster Card would work just fine—if, that is, London's transport authority granted permission for the technology to work.
FULL STORY: Now You Can Donate Your Leftover Subway Fare To Charity, With A Simple Swipe
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Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
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