Differentiated with 2.6m Steel Doors and Reinforced Glass Doors 

STraffic Selected Over Local Competitors.

 

 

 

A passenger is exiting the turnstile at West Oakland BART Station (San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District).

 

Introduction of New Korean-Made Turnstiles… A Visit to Oakland BART Station

During a recent visit to West Oakland BART Station in Oakland, California, the entry gates stood out as distinctly different from those in Korean subway stations. The new turnstiles, featuring 2.6m steel doors and reinforced glass panels, opened and closed smoothly in sync with passenger movements. These turnstiles were developed by STraffic, a leading smart transportation solutions company in South Korea.

 

Although it was rush hour, there were no passengers jumping over or forcing their way through the turnstiles. Fare evasion in subway systems is a common sight in major U.S. cities. However, here, it seemed as if an 'invisible barrier' had been installed, as there were no attempts to illegally pass through the gates.

 

The atmosphere was markedly different from the New York subway system I had visited previously. At major stations in New York, it is common to see passengers jumping over turnstiles, closely following the person in front, or attempting other methods of fare evasion. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in New York estimated that losses from fare evasion amounted to $700 million (approximately 1 trillion won) in 2022 and increased to $800 million (approximately 1.15 trillion won) last year.

 

The situation is no different in Washington, D.C., and San Francisco. Fare evasion has been a persistent issue in American subway systems. According to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), annual losses from fare evasion amounted to $11 million (approximately 1.58 billion won) as of 2019. The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), which oversees urban railways in the San Francisco metropolitan area, suffers annual losses of $25 million (approximately 360 billion won).

 

Public transportation operators in the U.S. have made efforts to address this issue by reinforcing turnstiles and deploying police officers, but the results have been limited. The New York MTA has implemented various measures, such as installing spiked panels on turnstiles to prevent fare evasion, but these efforts have fallen short. Passengers still jump over turnstiles with their hands or crawl underneath them.

 

 

 

 

A passenger is exiting the turnstile at West Oakland BART Station (San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District).

 

"BART determined that a new turnstile system with stronger physical barriers was necessary to fundamentally resolve the fare evasion issue. In the bidding process, global competitors, including Cubic, a leading U.S. company specializing in automated fare collection (AFC) systems, participated. However, STraffic received the highest evaluation in terms of technology and was ultimately selected as the final supplier. A domestic small-to-medium enterprise triumphed over large U.S. corporations with its superior technology.

 

Cho Hoon-ho, Executive Director overseeing STraffic's San Francisco project, stated, 'The requirements for the turnstiles set by BART included not only height and strength but also reducing maintenance costs. We proposed a more efficient and robust system compared to the solutions presented by existing U.S. companies, which led to our final selection.'

 

The new turnstiles supplied by STraffic feature steel doors that are significantly taller at 2.6 meters and reinforced glass doors. To prevent common fare evasion methods, such as jumping over turnstiles or crawling under them, the system incorporates First Opening Force technology with resistance strength of 800 newtons (approximately 600 kgf). Executive Director Cho explained, 'To meet BART's requirements for turnstiles, it was necessary to ensure not only entry management but also security and durability. While traditional turnstiles had security vulnerabilities, the system we supplied is designed to fundamentally block fare evasion."

 

The newly installed turnstiles by STraffic at West Oakland BART Station (San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District).

 

 

 

The introduction of new turnstiles has led to a noticeable decrease in the fare evasion rate. Currently, STraffic has replaced over 40% of the turnstiles across 50 BART stations. Executive Director Cho stated, 'In the past, dozens of fare evasion attempts occurred daily at each station with the old turnstiles. However, since the installation of the new turnstiles, such cases have nearly disappeared. As the fare evasion rate declines, BART's financial stability has improved, allowing for more investments in the long term.'

 

STraffic was established in 2013 as a spin-off from Samsung SDS's transportation division. The company specializes in transportation infrastructure, developing and installing highway and railway toll collection systems, intelligent transportation systems (ITS), automated fare collection systems (AFC), as well as railway signaling and communication systems.

 

Since its establishment, the company has carried out various transportation infrastructure projects both domestically and internationally. It was responsible for building the traffic monitoring center and high-pass (ETC) system for the Padma Bridge and N8 highway, the largest national project in Bangladesh. Domestically, it has worked on projects such as the Seoul subway transportation card system and the signaling system for the Suseo High-Speed Rail (SRT).

The company officially entered the U.S. market in April 2018 by establishing a U.S. subsidiary (STraffic America). In July 2019, it secured its first achievement in the U.S. market by winning a $40 million (approximately KRW 57.6 billion) contract for the WMATA AFC project in Washington, D.C. By the end of 2022, it completed the installation of 1,300 turnstiles across 91 stations and built a central control center, gaining recognition for its capabilities in the U.S. market. Subsequently, it won an additional $35 million project for anti-fare evasion turnstiles.

In 2023, the company further expanded its business by winning a $47 million AFC turnstile project for San Francisco BART. To date, the total U.S. AFC-related project orders have exceeded $100 million (approximately KRW 143.9 billion). The company is currently in discussions for additional contracts with New York MTA and LA Metro. Beyond the U.S., it is also undertaking global projects in France, Spain, India, Bangladesh, and other countries, showcasing the competitiveness of Korean transportation technology in the global market.

 

Executive Director Cho stated, 'While the AFC system in Korea has already matured, the U.S. is still a blue ocean market. Many outdated systems in the U.S. create consistent replacement demand. STraffic’s goal is to secure major projects, not only with BART but also with New York MTA and LA Metro. We will continue to actively pioneer overseas markets moving forward."

 

Written and photographed by Jinah Yoo, San Francisco (USA) gnyu4@dt.co.kr