First, some good news: A number of changes are in the works for Metro ticket machines.
Among them: allowing customers to purchase stored value amounts of $3 (for those taking round-trips), new messaging on the machines to help customers make their first purchase, as well as some minor changes in the way fares are described in order to make it easier to understand.
In addition, several other notable changes are proposed by Metro staff as part of a contract modification with Cubic, the vendor that provides TAP equipment (The taptogo.net website is overseen by another vendor, Xerox, and there are talks scheduled about updating that). Many of these changes involve issues with TAP raised by both Source readers and the media.
Among the improvements proposed in the Metro staff report:
• Simplify TVM screens to make them more user-friendly.
• Update and clarify the existing “Help” options and directions.
• Incorporate up to six languages in addition to the existing English and Spanish options currently provided.
• Enable the purchase of multiple rides on a single TAP card and/or the purchase of multiple TAP cards in a single cash/credit card transaction for families and groups. (Note to readers: TAP cards can hold up to eight single rides. The issue here is that the machines currently require customers to buy a single ride and then start over with a new transaction in order to buy a second single ride — i.e. the equivalent of a round-trip purchase for those using one bus or train to get somewhere and back).
• Install an additional TVM [ticket vending machine] next to the Metro Customer Center in the East Portal at Union Station to help expedite customer purchases and provide service when the center is closed, as well as an additional TVM at the Culver City station.
Another proposal: relocate some of the standing TAP validators in rail stations to more convenient places to help traffic flow better through the stations.
Here’s the staff report:
I second MarkB’s comments. I’m still looking for automatic fare capping at day pass rates. Particularly if all my rides are taken on Metro rail or bus, I would think it would be fairly simple to stop deducting from stored value once the day pass rate is reached. This would really simplify taking Metro.
Stephen P. I Agree with your sentiment, a cap would be wonderful but I have heard Matt Raymond [Head of Metro's TAP program] say that the fare structure that TAP has to deal with between Metro and the Munis is so complicated it would not be possible to implement capping or Automatic Metro to Muni Transfers. Hence I would prefer Bus Operators have the training to deal with what should be a mundane transaction. Also remember, fare machines on the Buses are not connected to the database. They only have their database updated approximately once a day. This is why it can take up to 48 hours for funds and passes purchased through TAP website to make it to the card if you only use the bus. If it is not available now I can only imagine how much it would cost to connect each Validator Wirelessly to the database.
In Contrast SF Muni which is a much smaller system has their validators connected to the Clipper Database which is why they can do things like timed tickets which are valid for 2 hours. But it takes 2-5 seconds for the TAP to work on the SF muni Buses.
The Senior Fare is a trickier issue. Loading Senior Day Passes I believe requires a Senior TAP Card. Casual riding Seniors are not likely to have this. There is no information at the Expo Line stations I frequent about how to apply and there is no one to help. The Seniors I’ve encountered think it is enormous trouble to apply, especially since they are at the station already looking to get a Senior Day Pass. I agree there should be a slight barrier to getting a Discounted TAP Card [Age Verification etc] but this requires jumping through significant hoops.
“fare structure that TAP has to deal with between Metro and the Munis is so complicated it would not be possible to implement capping or Automatic Metro to Muni Transfers.”
This is the reason why we should just abandon the whole concept of flat rate fares and a great example how things can get so ugly and messed up due to lack of cooperation and standardization.
The way things are now, it only makes things so confusing to get anything right to utilize the full potential of TAP. Culver City Bus is $1.00 per ride, a transfer to another Culver City Bus costs $0.25 extra but costs $0.40 if the transfer is to Metro, Metro is $1.50 per ride, no transfers to another Metro Bus but $0.35 to transfer to municipal lines, Metrolink is distance based fares….so much confusion!
Every transit agency should just be locked up in a single room and agree to standardize. They need to sit down together and never be let out of the room until they come up with how much a mile costs on public transit and they all need to agree to use distance based fares. It’s the only way to fix things right.
“Also remember, fare machines on the Buses are not connected to the database. They only have their database updated approximately once a day. This is why it can take up to 48 hours for funds and passes purchased through TAP website to make it to the card if you only use the bus.”
What is often overlooked is that TAP cards themselves have read/write/store capability. This allows for transactions to be done purely offline without the need of a constantly hooked up database.
If you tap-in directly onto a TAP validator, you can write and store data onto the TAP card at that instant. If you can store data onto the TAP card, TAP validator can read and analyze it at that instant at the next tap.
Let’s do it on paper to illustrate there’s no need for a database hookup.
1. You get onboard Metro and you give me a piece of paper for receipt purposes.
2. Thanks for riding Metro. Please pay $1.50. I then write down “Metro Bus $1.50″ on the piece of paper you gave me and hand it back to you.
3. You get off at your destination.
4. You get on board another Metro bus and give me the paper again.
5. Thanks for riding Metro. I see from the paper you gave me that you rode Metro twice today. Please pay $1.50. I then write down “Metro Bus $1.50″ on the piece of paper you gave me and hand it back to you.
6. You get off at your destination.
7. You get on board another Metro bus and give me the paper again.
8. Thanks for riding Metro. I see from the paper you gave me that you rode Metro three times today. Please pay $1.50. I then write down “Metro Bus $1.50″ on the piece of paper you gave me and hand it back to you.
9. You get off at your destination.
10. You get on board another Metro bus and give me the paper again.
11. Thanks for riding Metro. I see from the paper this is your fourth trip on Metro today. You only need to pay $0.50 now. I then write down “Metro Bus $0.50: Day pass cap” on the piece of paper you gave me and hand it back to you.
12. You get off at your destination.
13. You get on board another Metro bus and give me the paper again.
14. Thanks for riding Metro. I see from the paper that you reached your daily pass cap. You don’t have to pay and I then write down “Metro Bus $0.00: Day pass cap” on the piece of paper you gave me and hand it back to you.
15. You get off at your destination.
All of this can be done totally offline using the read/write/store capability of the TAP card itself. The TAP validator machine just checks what’s written and stored into the TAP card to check what trips you’ve taken in the past today.
The whole concept is so easy that bus drivers need to do absolutely nothing. Everything can be done completely offline utilizing the read/write/store capability of the TAP cards themselves.
@Mattapoisett_in_LA:
You confirm my belief that TAP was designed to be easy for the agency, not to be easy for the users. Raymond’s assertion that it’s not possible to design an algorithm that calculates and deducts cash passes and transfers translates to English as “not my problem.”
There have been times I’ve defended Metro’s operations against tea-party-type comments, but I consider TAP’s implementation to be beyond the event horizon of botched.
You can start by issuing free Senior TAP cards to any senior who qualifies. That is what happens in Foothill Transit territory – Senior ID cards are free to anyone who asks, the employee takes your picture right there and you get a temporary one on the spot, and a permanent one mailed to you a few weeks later. Instead, with Metro, you have to fill out the application, pay for photos to be taken in some photo booth more suited for teenage girl friend shots, and and then pay Metro again to turn in the application. I would strongly urge anyone in Metro territory to go take the Silver Line to El Monte and get a senior card there with no fuss.
I just ordered my first Senior tap card and what you are put through is almost unbelievable. First, you have to fill out a form to request a card, you also have to send a picture of yourself, full face like on your drivers license. In addition, you need to send a copy of your drivers license or ID card. Then your picture has to be on certain paper or they will not accept it; if that happens, you have to pay three dollars to have your picture taken in a photo machine booth behind Metro Customer Service at Union Station. The steps needed to be taken in order to receive a tap card for a senior or disabled individual is unreal!
Richard B,
What did you expect from Metro? They are not in the customer service business. They are a government agency. You don’t expect easy pickings with anything dealing with government bureaucracy (obtaining a copy of your birth certificate, obtaining a Passport, getting Social Security, sending taxes to the IRS, etc.). Metro is no different.
It seems most bus drivers don’t know how to handle loading a day pass on cards with stored values. Each time, they either tell me try it in the next bus, or argue with me the day pass is loaded (it isn’t). This is frustrating. Today, after 4 trys I went out of my way to a Red Line station and used a TVM to load a day pass. Please, train your drivers to handle this. I’d like to include more buses on my repertoire of travels, but cases like this just stops me and makes me choose rail only instead.