| What is the CU ID Card Project?
How does the ID card system work?
Is your system secure?
Why are you changing the system? Why not just stick to the current system?
What are some of the benefits?
What happens if my CU ID is lost or stolen?
How do I use my card at the fare box?
When will the new system start?
When will the ID card data be updated on the buses?
What do I do if my card isn’t activated?
What happens if the equipment breaks?
When and where will Cornell employee ID cards work?
How will this impact OmniRide? What about out-of-county transit service riders?
Where are some locations that are included in Tcat Zone One?
What are the rules? Who can ride when with what CU ID Card?
The driver told me my card triggered an error message. What does
that mean?
What is the CU ID Card Project?
At Cornell’s request, TCAT is working with BlackBox Consulting to install CU photo ID card-reading computer equipment on the buses.
How does the ID card system work?
The buses have a computer on board that reads a file containing card data. The data (on the magnetic stripe and, if present, on a proximity chip ) will contain the person’s affiliation (e.g., faculty, staff, or student) and a rule. The rule governs the time of day and the days of a week the ID card can be used to pay the fare.
There are two card readers on every bus, located near the fare box, next to each other. The proximity reader uses a radio signal to activate the card and read a number pre-encoded in the card. The swipe reader reads data encoded in the magnetic-stripe on the back of the card. This works like your bank or credit card.
Is your system secure?
We understand the security and privacy issues raised by modern electronic information systems. Within the context of this technology, Commuter and Parking Services is committed to maintaining the privacy and security of each individual customer and of the entire Cornell community.
TCAT will collect ridership information from the stop locations where CU ID cards have been used, but the information is confidential. No personal information is collected, stored, or transferred to TCAT. Your information will not be sold, traded, or used by another company for marketing reasons.This information will be used to help plan and improve the service that is provided to the Cornell community by TCAT.
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Why are you changing the system? Why not just stick to the current system?
Currently, TCAT hand-counts every passenger who shows a CU ID when they board, then bills Cornell University for each ride. This system is inaccurate and time-consuming.
Employees and students who participate in the OmniRide program receive a sticker to place on their CU ID that allows unlimited access to TCAT buses. The time-consuming process of issuing stickers, mailing stickers to students, retrieving stickers from employees who can no longer participate in OmniRide, charging fees for lost stickers, monitoring and stopping dishonest sales of stickers, and finding fraudulant stickers will all be eliminated by the new electronic system.
What are some of the benefits?
Besides the elimination of a lot of hand work, we are hoping to get good, accurate information about what routes receive the most ridership by affiliation, where improvements to service can be made, when more buses are needed on a particular route, and what other adjustments need to be made to keep transit a viable commuting choice for Cornell community members.
Ultimately, improvements to Cornell’s Transportation Demand Management program can be made through the collection of ridership information.
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What happens if my CU ID is lost or stolen?
As is now the case, you will have to pay the cash fare each time you board the bus until your card is replaced.
Report lost or stolen ID card and obtain a replacement at the University Registrar's office, B-07 Day Hall. Their hours are 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday. A fee may be charged for replacement. When your card is replaced, your old card will be deactivated. There is no additional fee to reactivate your transit privileges.
How do I use my card at the fare box?
Touch your ID card to the proximity reader. If you hear a single beep, continue boarding. If you don’t hear anything at all, try the swipe reader. If you still don’t hear anything, you will need to obtain a new ID card.
If you hear two beeps, stop and wait for instructions from the driver. This means that either your ID wasn’t found, or it was found but it didn’t pass the rule we defined for when and where it can be used for a fare.
In many cases, you will be able to use the swipe-reader successfully even though your prox chip didn’t work.
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When will the new system start?
The testing phase of the project began on July 16 and will continue throughout July and early August. In mid-August, a CU ID card will have to be presented to a card reader and read electronically in order for a card holder to ride on a TCAT bus without paying the fare.
When will the ID card data be updated on the buses?
The ID card data will be replaced daily, generally at night. However, there can be up to a three-business day delay from the time a new card is issued or OmniRide request is made to the time the data hits the card-reader database.
What do I do if my card isn’t activated?
You must be prepared to pay the cash fare until your card has been activated.
What happens if the equipment breaks?
While we don’t anticipate any problems, we do know that equipment failures can happen. You will not be inconvenienced by the break down, or made to pay the cash fare. Equipment will be switched out as soon as possible.
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When and where will Cornell employee ID cards work?
Cornell faculty/staff ID card will continue to be used for the fare within TCAT’s Zone One boundaries, Monday through Friday only.
Where are some locations that are included in Tcat Zone One?
Zone One Locations |
Locations |
Roadway /direction |
Buttermilk Falls State Park |
NYS Route 13 South |
Cornell Campus |
|
Cayuga Medical Center |
NYS Route 96 North |
Cass Park |
NYS Route 89 North |
Cornell Sailing Club |
NYS Route 34 North |
Downtown Ithaca |
|
East Hill |
Pine Tree Road to
NYS Route 79 East Intersection |
Eastern Heights Drive |
|
Eco Village |
NYS Route 79 West |
Ithaca College |
NYS Route 96B South |
Ithaca Post Office |
Warren Road |
NYSEG |
NYS Route 366 and NYS Route 13 intersection |
Middaugh Road Park & Ride |
Off Coddington Road |
Lab of Ornithology |
Brown Road |
Research Park |
Warren Road/Brown Road |
Sam Peter Furniture |
NYS Route 96B South |
Stewart Park |
NYS Route 13 /34N |
Tompkins County Airport |
Brown Road |
Tower View Apartments |
NYS Route 13A |
Varna |
NYS Route 366 |
- Faculty and staff can use their CU ID anytime, Monday through Friday, to ride Tcat routes: 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 22, 30, 31, 32, 50, 51, 81, 82, 83, 84, 92, 93.
- Inside Tcat’s Zone One boundary, faculty and staff can also use their CU ID to ride Tcat routes: 36, 37, 40, 41, 43, 44, 45, 52, 53, 60, 65, 67.
How will this impact the OmniRide program?
The only change for OmniRide program participants is that the need for a sticker is eliminated in favor of using an electronic reader. OmniRide passes sold during the day will be loaded into the bus computers before the next day. However, it may take a day or two before the bus has the data.
If non-OmniRiders try to board a bus outside Zone One, the CU ID will not be accepted, and they will have to pay the cash fare.
What about out-of-county transit service riders?
We are in the process of determining how best to incorporate OmniRiders who use out-of-county transit providers for their in-county commute. In the meantime, the sticker on your ID card is valid until the end of December--continue to use it when you ride the out-of-county service. If you ride a TCAT bus, be sure to use the electronic readers.
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What are the rules? Who can ride when with what CU ID Card?
Cornell Affiliation |
Default Rules (Where & When) |
Affiliate |
Zone One (M-F) |
Faculty/Staff |
Zone One (M-F) |
Faculty Spouse |
Tcat routes 92 and 93 |
Extramural Students |
Tcat routes 92 and 93 |
Emeritus and 25-year Emeritus |
Zone One (M-F) |
Retiree and 25-year Retiree |
Zone One (M-F) |
Student |
Nights & Weekends and Tcat routes 92 and 93 |
Student Spouse |
Tcat routes 92 and 93 |
Summer Student |
Tcat routes 92 and 93 |
Summer Faculty |
Zone One (M-F) |
Temporary Staff |
Zone One (M-F) |
Faculty/Staff Omni-Ride |
Any Tcat bus any time |
Student OmniRide |
Any Tcat bus any time |
Student New-to-Cornell (first time at Cornell) |
Any Tcat bus any time |
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The driver told me my card triggered an error message. What does that mean?
Typical errors:
Q. Message is: “card not read.”
A. Your card, for some reason, cannot be read by either the prox chip or swipe reader. You will have to go to the Registrar’s Office and obtain a new card.
Until then, you will have to pay the cash fare. It can take up to three business days for a new CU ID to get into the system .
Q. Message is: “Passback.”
A. Cards are only accepted once upon each boarding, and will trigger a “Passback” error until the next stop is reached. You may only use your card for your own fare on the bus.
Q. Message is: “Unknown Card”
A. No data was found in the system for your card. If it is a replacement card, it can take up to three business days to get into the system. You will have to pay the cash fare until the card is accepted.
Q. The driver said my ID card is only good on the 90 bus routes.
A. This means the your ID card is only good on routes 92 and 93 .
Q. Nights and Weekends. The driver told me my ID card is only good during the evening after 6 PM and all day on Saturday and Sunday.
A. This is the base privilege for a student ID card. If you believe that you have an OmniRide pass, please email or call our office for assistance.
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