Metro riders could soon be boarding trains the way Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles do! (Getty Images)

Metro customers could soon have the options of paying for train and bus fares with credit cards or smartphones directly at the turnstile, cutting out the need to queue up for SmarTrip card reloads. That is, The Washington Examiner reports, if it can close a deal with a vendor that is already a year behind schedule.

Instead of passengers forming long lines in Metrorail stations or clogging the fronts of buses while they replenish their fare cards, the new technology would allow riders to board simply by scanning a credit card, smartphone, or, in some cases, a federal employee badge. A similar system is used in London.

But in Metro’s case, the adoption of the modernized payment system is a year behind, the Examiner reports:

Metro’s board of directors first approved pursuing the system in 2009. A contract was supposed to be awarded in the first quarter of 2012, and seven companies had lined up to compete for it in 2011. Instead, the transit agency issued another request for bids in May 2012.

Still, introducing a new way to pay for Metro rides could save the transit agency serious money. Even though it would require the installation of new turnstiles and computer systems, Metro could save as much as $30 million a year.