Matt Raymond, Metro’s Chief Communications Officer, issued this response to today’s story in the Daily News about TAP cards and the gating system at Metro rail stations:

Chucking Metro’s TAP smart card fare program as some critics suggest is like throwing the baby out with the bath water. TAP is working as evidenced by more than 15 million transactions a month. Customers like it because they can load their cards online, replace their fare value if they lose their cards, it speeds boardings and, eventually, will lead to seamless travel on a multitude of transit carriers in LA County.

Ridership data yielded by TAP is helping Metro better tailor service to meet demand, and the gated rail stations – only a small part of the TAP program – already has enhanced security and reduced fare evasion even if the gates aren’t yet locked. Incidentally, the gate installation was only completed one month ago.

Matt Raymond

Metro Chief Communications Officer