Since our announcement of the end of life for the Odyssey® and Odyssey Plus® fareboxes, we have received calls and questions from many of you. To continue to provide you with information and support as your agency makes plans based on the end of life for the Odyssey, we are providing the notification again along with some of the frequently asked questions we have received since last month’s announcement.
Genfare has provided transit agencies with fare collection hardware and software for more than 40 years. Many of our fareboxes have been in service well beyond their expected service life, which is a testament to the quality and engineering of the products. However, there comes a point when a product must be removed from production due to antiquated technology or an inability to source parts.
Originally designed in 1997, the Odyssey farebox set the standard for modern electronic, validating fareboxes. As parts availability diminishes, components become obsolete. To continue to support the thousands of Odyssey and Odyssey Plus fareboxes that you currently have in revenue service, Genfare has decided to cease manufacturing the Odyssey and Odyssey Plus fareboxes.
Genfare would like to assure all Odyssey clients that support services for the Odyssey and Odyssey Plus fareboxes will continue to be available through the warranty and/or your current software support agreement. Genfare will continue to offer spare and repair parts for the Odyssey and Odyssey Plus fareboxes as long as parts are available. Periodic software releases for major bug fixes will continue through 2025.
Genfare will not accept orders for Odyssey and Odyssey Plus fareboxes after December 31, 2022. Additionally, the smart card readers and Wi-Fi modules for the Odyssey are no longer available. All new Odyssey orders requiring these components can only be completed if the agency can add these parts from existing spare inventory or retired fareboxes.
The design of the Genfare fareboxes, vaults, and data systems allows for phasing in of our latest technology. For farebox orders placed after December 31, 2022, we offer the Fast Fare®, the current generation farebox, and the necessary updates to your vaults and garage data system for compatibility with Odyssey and Fast Fare fareboxes. Many Genfare clients operate Odyssey and Fast Fare fareboxes in revenue service together and have done so for many years.
If your agency is currently purchasing or implementing a complementary fare collection product, such as an Open Link Validator, integrated with the Odyssey or Odyssey Plus farebox, we will continue to support the integration for the life of the integrated product.
The Fast Fare farebox is equally reliable while accepting a wider range of fare payment from contactless credit and debit cards and mobile wallets such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay to smart cards, barcoded mobile tickets, magnetic media, and of course, cash.
We understand the importance of operating a reliable and easily maintained fare collection system. We are committed to supporting the investment you have made and helping you migrate to the latest technology to achieve your fare collection goals.
If you have any questions, please contact Customer Care at 847-871-1231 or at genfare.customercare@spx.com.