Pdf for download and printing here
UPDATE, OCT. 26: At their monthly meeting, the Metro Board approved going forward with all-door boarding on both lines.
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The earlier Source post:
Metro staff is proposing to expand all-door boarding next year to two of the system’s busiest bus lines – the 720 Rapid on Wilshire Boulevard and the 754 Rapid on Vermont Avenue — to speed up transit trips and reduce the time buses dwell at stops.
Under the proposal, riders would be able to board at any door of a bus — front, middle or rear — and would pay their fare by tapping their TAP card on a fare validator that will be installed next to each door. That means riders will no longer have to line up and wait to board at only the front door of the bus.
Those paying with cash or tokens will be able to board at the front door, where they will be able to buy a TAP card and load it with fare. To encourage more people to use TAP cards, Metro will be handing out 50,000 TAP cards on both the 720 and 754 lines. Even better, the TAP validator will be on the left side of the front door, so those boarding there can literally go around those buying TAP cards or loading fare.
The proposal is scheduled to be considered by the Metro Board of Directors at their October round of meetings starting with the Executive Management Committee on Thursday at 11:30 a.m. at Metro headquarters adjacent to Union Station.
If the Board approves of the program, all-door boarding would be targeted to begin in June 2018 on the 754 and Dec. 2018 on the 720. All door boarding was tested on the 720 in 2015 and began on the Silver Line last year, where it has helped increase on-time performance by 10 percent.
The 720 Rapid Bus on Wilshire Boulevard carries about 29,019 boardings on the average weekday and the 754 on Vermont Avenue about 20,674 boardings, according to Metro’s most recent ridership estimates.
Categories: Policy & Funding, Projects
My only concern is those who regularly don’t buy TAP cards rushing in and pushing paying riders out of the way. There are a lot of agressive thugs out there.
[…] Metro All Door Boarding Roll-out Inching Forward (The Source) […]
As a frequent user of Line 754, this is much needed since we are lots of students and working people.
I often ride SF Muni, since I live outside SF, and have seen that about 50-75% of rear-door boarding passengers do not tap their Clipper cards (equivalent to Metro’s TAP card). Muni claims fare evasion at the rear door is minimal, but I dont believe it at all.
Paper Transfer is also a valid type of proof of payment for SF Muni. For passengers having paper transfer, they can enter through the rear door and do not need to tap. They only need to show their valid paper transfer when fare enforcement checks fare. The problem is, I rarely see fare enforcement on SF buses
How much fare enforcement is on Silver Line? I would say close to zero. Many riders pay still cash even though the operator is supposed to load their fare on a TAP card for proof of payment. If they don’t do that, then the rider can simply say they paid and pass through.
May I know what the “top off” feature mentioned in the document is? I googled the term, but no relevant info is found.
Hi Stephen;
“Top off” is the on-board cash option which allows patrons to purchase TAP fare media at the farebox.
Steve Hymon
Editor, The Source
Is it a feature that is currently available on all bus lines? Sometimes I do not have enough stored value on Tap card, but I suddenly need to ride Metro (the trip involves transfer). The online loading will not work as it takes 48 hours to have the fare ready, and it would take me an extra hour if I need to make a trip to the TAP vendor first. It would be great to know if the “top-off” feature exists currently.
So umm, no transit agency in this country is going to be accepting NFC payments (I.E. Apple Pay, Android Pay, Google Wallet, etc) as a form of a Bus Pass and Payment?? Cause that’ll really come in handy here.
TAP cards use NFC, even if it can’t be used for Payment, I’m pretty it can let us use the NFC on Smartphones as a form of Bus Pass.
It can be done. London, which also use Cubic for fare collection, offers this. It probably takes yet another modification (this one will be Number 148 in the report above) of the contract Metro has with them.
Chicago does this. Also a Cubic system.
Why don’t MetroRapid lines already have all doors boarding and pre-boarding fare payment?
Granted, all the times I used 740 – back when it served DTLA – all us boarding and paying the fare onboard – getting to Inglewood happened faster than it takes NYC’s rapid equivalent to go two miles (even with pre-boarding fare payment and all doors boarding), but it’s curious that Metro is only now considering this.
It was in the original Metro Rapid report as being a part of “Phase II”:
http://media.metro.net/projects_studies/rapid/images/demonstration_program_report.pdf
So along with offboard payment and exclusive lanes, things we should have had 10 years ago but will probably have to wait another 50 for.
There is even something in there about coordinated land use planning. Maybe in the 22nd century.
Excellent idea, long overdue
Glad to see the document also addresses TAP card availability. Love the idea of going TAP-only and expanding TAP card locations to 7-11, libraries and into the Gift Card Kiosks at grocery stores. Makes so much sense. Especially the full kiosks – if they can have ATM, lottery, Coinstar, ecoATM (electronic buyback), Rug Doctor and on and on and on, surely they can squeeze in a TAP vending/refilling machine. These should be everywhere.