Cubic Transportation Systems, with WMATA, designed the two-year-old SmarTrip system, the nation's first mass transit Smart Card fare collection program.
A smart card is a plastic card that contains a microprocessor with a memory.
The smart card also allows authorisation of financial transactions to take place off-line.
Under the Data Protection Act, you can request a paper printout of your smart card data at any time for validation or updating.
A number of industry watchers have stated that the area is the fastest growing regional Smart Card market in several sectors.