Sun Metro’s BRIO machines accepting credit and debit cards after months of problems

By ABC-7’s Jamie Warren

The BRIO is on its way to delivering what it promised — quick and easy travel without digging in your pocket for change.

All but two of the 28 ticket vending machines are now accepting credit and debit cards along the Mesa BRIO route. The machines started accepting the credit and debit cards one-by-one starting in May.

The vending machines have been handling cash transactions since BRIO service started in late October.

A City spokeswoman told ABC-7 that, “presently, all ticket vending machines have signage indicating that the credit/debit card function is not available because the machines are not yet processing payments up to our standards. The machines are processing transactions in over a minute. We are working with the vendor to speed up the transactions to where it takes seconds to purchase a ticket.”

Nancy Howell and her grand kids are riding the Brio for the first time.

“We’re doing it today for a fun trip,” Howell said. She says buying four tickets was easy.

“I didn’t know what to expect but I came here, used my debit card, bought our tickets and our bus is coming in about three minutes,” Howell said.

The City introduced the transit service back in October, but the machines didn’t work completely, not accepting credit and debit cards, and riders were forced to pay cash only.

The BRIO ticket vending machines didn’t accept credit and debit cards because of software security issues.

“The original issue was precipitated by a banking software issue, primarily a change in security protocol by First Data in response to industry efforts to enhance consumer data protection,” City spokeswoman Tammy Fonce-Olivas told ABC-7. “First Data is the merchant processor for Bank of America who is contracted to handle bankcard transactions for Wells Fargo, the depository bank for the City of El Paso. This resulted in SPX-Genfare having to update and re-write software security codes.”