By Gintautas Dumcius | MassLive

Tap a CharlieCard for all public transit. Or just use your smartphone or credit card.

That’s the new system planned for 2020 as the MBTA moves ahead with a $723 million overhaul of its fare collection across its bus, train and commuter rail lines.

The MBTA's new system shifting towards mobile is another example of how much smartphones have changed how people live, work, and commute between the two parts of their lives. MBTA officials say they expect most riders to end up using mobile payments.

The current system depends on an array of hardware and software that includes the well-known CharlieCard, cash and the mTicket phone app for the commuter rail and ferry.

The new, better-connected system, MBTA officials say, will take its cues from other transit systems like the New York City subway. And it'll also work with Apple Pay and Samsung Pay systems.

MBTA officials say they're aiming to replace outdated software; make it easier to pay your fare; and reduce the time it takes for people to board a vehicle, which often causes delays to cascade.

And it'll all come as new but overdue Red Line and Orange Line cars will be trundling down the tracks after the cars are assembled in Springfield, Mass.

Here’s a glance at what the MBTA’s fare system could look like in the next several years, and which part will undergo the biggest change.

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This is the fare machine that will be used in T stations

MBTA officials released renderings of what fare vending machines look like, though they cautioned that the design could change down the road.

The vending machines will dispense fare cards. (The cards will be available at certain retailers as well.)

You'll also be able to traverse the system without a fare card, using just your phone or a credit card.

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A MBTA customer prepares to buy a ticket or add cash onto a card at Park Street Station. (Gintautas Dumcius/MassLive)

It'll be an upgrade from what we have now

In the current system, you have load up your CharlieCard with money. You can also pay your fare with stored value on the flimsier CharlieTicket, or the mTicket app and mostly pass for commuter rail, as well as cash when you board the bus.

You can also buy a monthly pass for bus and subway train, with varying levels of access.

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Bus stops will also have fare vending machines

This is what the vending machines probably look like at bus stops.

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Wider gates

At MBTA stations that have gates, the new version will offer more room if you have a stroller or luggage.

The new gates will also have something the current gates don't have: An area to tap for entry and exit. They'll be made that way in case state transportation officials ever decide they want people to pay to get out, a policy that was phased out years ago but is used on systems like Washington, D.C.

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The fare gates at Park Street Station. (Gintautas Dumcius/MassLive)

The current gates are much more narrow

With the new fare gates, the MBTA plans add several inches in the aisles.

During the transition between new and old fare gates, the MBTA plans to fit the existing gates with areas for tapping in order to accept the new system.

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(MBTA rendering)

This is what the transition will look like

In the picture above, you have the new gates on the left and the old ones on the left.

The transition to the new system will take several months, and after it's done, all MBTA stations with gates will have the new ones and only the new system will be accepted, according to state transportation officials.

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(File Photo/MassLive)

Changes coming to the commuter rail system

Transportation officials say the commuter rail, which has a weekday ridership of 130,000, will see the biggest changes under the new system.

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You'll be paying while on the platform

Transportation officials are calling these things "validators," which will be installed on all platforms on the MBTA's commuter rail system, as well as trolley stations on the Mattapan Line south of downtown Boston.

You'll be able to add or purchase a pass before you take your ride.

"Tap on before you board, tap off after you alight, tape transfer," the MBTA's presentation on the new system says. "Use any media: fare card, mobile phone or contactless credit card."

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(Image via MBTA)

Conductors will focus on fare enforcement

On the current commuter rail system, you pay on board by showing a ticket on your mobile phone to a conductor, or purchasing a pass, or showing your monthly pass to the same conductor.

Under the new system, conductors will no longer handling payment, conductors will just be making sure you paid. They'll have handheld devices to check the validity of whatever you're using, and passengers might be asked to show proof of payment, according to MBTA officials.

If the commuter rail system moves ahead with fare gates at some locations, the new system is expected to dovetail with that, they say.

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These 'validators' will be installed on buses and the Green Line

According to the MBTA, the new system will allow passengers to board at any door on the bus and Green Line, since multiple "validators" will be installed at all doors.

That's aimed at speeding up boarding time and cracking down on fare evasion, which sometimes occurs on the Green Line, when all doors open and some riders get on in back without paying up at the front of the trolley.

They'll be installed next to the current fare boxes on the Green Line and buses during the transition period, and then the fare boxes will eventually be removed.

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(Image via MBTA)

This could improve bus speeds by up to 10 percent

The MBTA says the new system will speed up bus times by 10 percent, since people will be able to board more quickly.

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The MBTA's software is getting an upgrade, too

The fare vending machines wil spit out cards, and the software behind loading them, or whatever else you're using, will get also get an upgrade.

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One annoying thing about the current system is if, for example, you want to transfer from the Red Line to the MBTA's commuter rail, you have to switch from using the CharlieCard to the mTicket app on your phone.

The new system is much better together, allowing for a smoother jump between modes.

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How do they plan to pay for it?

The MBTA is planning to deploy a performance-based "public-private partnership," the transit agency's first time undertaking something like that. (The Maryland Transit Authority has attempted something similar.)

The agency plans to enter into a single contract with a consortium that will be responsible for the design, installation, finance, operations and maintenance of the system.

The $723 million contract, which includes capital and operating costs, will span an initial term of roughly 13 years, with two five-year extensions.

The MBTA's fiscal control board, put in place after the winter of 2015 crippled the system and brought systemwide troubles to the surface, is set to vote on a contract on Monday, Nov. 20.

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The winning bid

The consortium of John Laing Group, which started as a building company in England in 1848, and Cubic, founded as a San Diego electronics company in 1951, won the bid with their proposal. MBTA officials pointed to their work on transit systems in London and Chicago.

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The old CharlieCard (Image via MBTA)

How much is a new CharlieCard going to cost?

The MBTA will propose the cost of a new CharlieCard come in at $5.

Over the last ten years, the MBTA has given out 18 million CharlieCards with the old technology for free, costing the agency roughly $1 each.

While the new card will come with a new fee, there will be a benefit: You won’t be turned away if you hop on the bus or train but don’t have the full fare on your card, because the card will allow you to go into the negative for one trip.

(In New York, you have pay a $1 fee for a new MetroCard.)

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Is the 'Charlie' brand going away?

MBTA officials say they plan to keep the "Charlie" brand, which was first unveiled in 2006. Tokens were phased out that year after 80 years of use.

The "Charlie" brand takes its name from the song "Charlie on the MTA" performed by the Kingston Trio. The song was about a man who was doomed to forever ride the system after realizing he didn't have the exit fare, which cost a nickel.

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(Image via MBTA/Twitter)

What happens to the workers on the current system?

MBTA officials say they're in talks with union members who on the current maintenance staff about training and transitioning them to other parts of the system. Technicians will still be in demand through at least early 2020.

There are 36 people working on the current automated fare collection system, and according to the MBTA, four have already transitions to other departments.

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So what's the timeline?

Design and development is slated for 2018, and in 2019, the new equipment will be phased in at vehicles and stations.

The spring of 2020, you'll see everybody using the new equipment if all goes according to plan.

The legacy CharlieCards -- the ones you're using now -- will be retired in mid-summer or early fall of 2020.

The transition to the new system and the retirement of the old system is scheduled to be complete will be complete by May 2021.

The MBTA plans a public awareness campaign about the changes.

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Read more:

See inside a mockup of the new Orange Line cars being built in Springfield

Compare new MBTA Orange Line cars being built in Springfield to those running on the tracks since the 1980s

MBTA's new chief tried to take the train on his first day on the job and the fare machines weren't working

See the new MBTA Orange Line cars in action in China

Dan Grabauskas is back at the MBTA, with a $30,000-a-month contract