A quick heads-up: Metro staff will be test locking the gates at the North Hollywood Red Line station this afternoon from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
This is a continuation of the testing that began earlier this fall to gauge the different ways that Metro patrons are paying their fares and how many are using TAP cards.
As with earlier tests — which were very un-eventful — Metro staff will be on hand to answer questions and help those with paper ticket and passes get through the gates.
@GB
Metro’s original plan was to stop issuing paper tickets and passes altogether and go all TAP, by means of reloadable TAP cards that we have now and using one-time use TAP cards/tokens/passes like they use in Amsterdam, Singapore and Taipei.
The only problem is that LA Metro botched the whole TAP thing to begin by underestimating the marketing process to actually promote TAP use to Metro riders. They sort of expected TAP would take shape on its own.
The end result is that we end up with TAP that has yet to figure out how to redesign it’s webpage, a system that took years to figure out how to load cash value on to the card at fixed prices, a card system that has a programmed expiration date to usurp TAP users for more money as it expires, no clear cut answer on how to transfer money from one TAP card to another upon expiration, and TAP usage that’s way below expectations because using TAP with cash value doesn’t really offer any additional incentives over paying cash.
You missed my point entirely. I was suggesting that if they originally chose fare gates which were capable of reading multiple fare types, then they wouldn’t be having issues with forcing other agencies into their TAP system.
I don’t care of Metro wants to eliminate their own paper tickets, but expecting other agencies to find the money to switch to their (clearly less than perfect) system is a bit daft.
That’s not to say I dislike TAP itself. I was always able to get stored value on mine (I bought it from a nearby Foothill Transit store), I just rarely had cause to use it since my Metrolink ticket includes the cost of transfers. Forutnately, I think it’s starting to work out it’s issues. Unfortunately, I don’t think everyone is ready for the elimination of paper tickets, especially first-time users and tourists. My biggest fear is that locking the gates will discourage currently paying customers from using the system.
As a member of the Metro Art Council’s Docent Program, we docents escort up to 20 persons on a Metro Art Tour and issue stick-on Day Passes to the participants. There is no way these stick-ons can activate gate passage electronically. Do I tap my own card up to 20 times for the tour participants?
Yes let’s have Los Angeles just close the gates and let the other agencies deal with it. Enough is enough.