Two Houston area transportation agencies are working to enable customers to pay for transit trips or tolls in the way they prefer.

The changes in the works by the Metropolitan Transit Authority and the Harris County Toll Road Authority will be among the first significant revisions to their payment systems in years.

Many transit riders are clamoring for smartphone payment for Metro buses and trains, which the agency originally announced would be ready by the end of 2015. Those plans have been delayed because of contract negotiations, but about 100 riders will be chosen for a test of a smartphone-based payment system in January, according to Denise Wendler, Metro's chief information officer.

Metro approved a $244,090 contract in June with GlobeSherpa, based in Portland, Ore. The company is developing a smartphone app enabling riders to store single-ride tickets or day passes for use as needed. Riders will show the bus operator or fare inspector their valid ticket, which is designed so it cannot be copied or forged.

Current and potential riders are eager for smartphone options, Metro board members said.

"This is so cool," board member Diann Lewter said during a demonstration of the new payment app. "When does it go live?"

Riders, such as those waiting downtown for a Red Line train this week, said they would happily ditch Metro's ride cards, known as Q cards, for a smartphone app.

"It's one more thing to keep track of," 21-year-old Brian Johnson said of a transit card, noting he already pays for coffee daily with his phone.

Though most riders will continue using Q cards, some officials say payment via phone might attract younger riders for discretionary trips.

"I would really be looking at this to get it in the hands of a lot more students," Metro board member Sanjay Ramabhadran said.

Luring more riders

For the initial March unveiling, Wendler said the smartphone payment system will have the ability to accept and verify Metro's common $1.25 fare and a $3 day pass option. Smartphone options will come later for those who receive discounts, such as seniors and students, and for park-and-ride fares, she said.

Demand also is expected to surge among commuters, Metro board member Christof Spieler said.

"I would roll out park and ride as fast as possible," he said.

Metro, after years of encouraging Q card use, has eased up on making the cards the preferred payment source. Though the Q card system is aging and likely to be replaced in a few years, it is still the dominant method of paying for bus and train trips in the area.

Metro has focused on expanding options rather than relying solely on the Q card. After cash-paying customers and Metro critics noted they were paying more for bus rides, Metro resumed the use of paper transfers on a pilot basis on June 30.

The program, however, has led to complaints by riders and bus operators that it is increasing conflicts and arguments over proper fare payment.

"I think having paper transfers is doing real harm to our riders," Spieler said.

The Metro board on Dec. 17 approved ending the paper transfer program, effective Dec. 31. For the first 90 days of next year, Metro will advertise on its buses and trains the elimination of the program, and offer anyone requesting a transfer a Q card. The cards can be loaded on Metro's local buses and other places. As transit officials try to lure others onto local buses, the number of places where Q cards can be loaded or purchased could grow.

"Hopefully we can start selling them in grocery stores and pharmacies," said Lisa Castaneda, a Metro board member and deputy director of the Harris County Toll Road Authority.

Cash card for tolls

Toll agency officials are changing drivers' payment choices as well. The agency wants to eliminate coin-operated machines and staffed toll booths along many roads, and this month it launched its first EZ TAG option that does not require a credit card.

The new reloadable toll tags, though a partnership with BancPass, are available at the Sam Houston Tollway Ship Channel Bridge toll plaza. They'll be sold in various retail outlets after the new year, toll road authority spokeswoman Mary Benton said.

Reloadable cards

Initial purchase of the reloadable EZ TAG costs $40. The "reload kit" includes a transponder for the person's vehicle, a card to add balance to the toll account and $15 in tolls. As the toll balance diminishes, drivers can add value to the card online or a certain locations around Houston - for now, the Ship Channel Toll Plaza. Each time the card is reloaded, BancPass, the administrator of the accounts, assesses a $2 fee.

Benton said the reloadable card is aimed at attracting people who do not want to give the toll authority credit card information, many of whom use the toll lanes infrequently.

Benton said the cash reloadable card is a first nationally for a tolling agency, and the first time in years that the authority has added a payment option. Officials have sold 165 of the cards since they became available Dec. 11.

"Keep in mind that they have done no paid advertising and have relied on limited word of mouth, social media promotions and some...media," Benton said.

Offering the cards coincides with the toll road authority removing a cash-paying option from the Sam Houston Tollway at the Ship Channel Bridge. As of Jan. 9, that location will shift to all-electronic tolling, requiring an EZ TAG or another approved transponder.

The agency in recent months has also removed coin machines from a northern toll plaza of the Sam Houston and is converting the Hardy Toll Road to all-electronic tolling as part of a widening project.