Greater Toronto Area commuters are one step closer to transferring easily between the web of bus, train and subway systems across the region.

Ontario Minister of Transportation Donna Cansfield announced a 10-year, $250-million contract Thursday with management consultant company Accenture to design and implement a "smart card" system to connect the public transit systems in the GTA.

Working much like a debit card, the fare cards could be scanned as passengers enter the various systems, deducting the fare.

The new Greater Toronto Transportation Authority, mandated to make it easy for commuters to transfer seamlessly between the GTA's transit systems, will oversee the smart card program.

"Transit users should be able to get on any system anywhere in the GTA using the same card and travel to wherever they're going without having to worry about crossing municipal boundaries and changing systems," said the newly-appointed chair of the GTTA, Rob MacIsaac.

"It should be more efficient," he said.

The project will roll out by mid-2007 with limited participation. Those involved will be four Mississauga bus routes, the Meadowvale and Cooksville GO Transit stations and Union Station in Toronto.

The province hopes to have the system running across the GTA by 2010.

However, the Toronto Transit Commission has expressed uncertainty as to whether it will join the smart card system, citing financial concerns.

As well as the announcement Thursday of MacIsaac's appointment as chair of the GTTA, Peter Smith, the current GO Transit chairman, was named as the co-chairman.

Over five million people live in the GTA.