cliffapotamus
Active Member
@CplKlinger thanks, you're a gem!
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- Thread starter Daveography
- Start date
DutchBoy
Active Member
I also submitted as feedback to them that users should be able to tap off of a bus before the bus doors open! In other systems I've used, you can tap off for the "next" station in advance, so everyone can deboard quickly and efficiently. If ridership goes back up, the current set up will cause a bit of a traffic jam near doors. This is just a difference of 0.5-1 second per user, but that can add up rather quickly!
CplKlinger
Senior Member
Very true! I've heard that from other participants as well. A friend of mine who works for a local transit service said that the agencies are trying to prevent cases where someone on a commuter route might tap "off" before the bus leaves the origin municipality in order to pay the cheaper local fare. But I think it's better to let some people cheat the system if it means making it better to use. Someone rode a Strathcona County bus, and its scanners activated as soon as the doors started to open. Hopefully ETS and the others follow suit!
Aww shucks, take a look in the mirror <3
DutchBoy
Active Member
I don't like that sort of edge-case thinking (also because I kind of want free transit). I say make the service as convenient as possible! That should be the #1 priority. More convenience = more ridership = more net revenue; most people aren't looking to cheat the system!
We don't have gates in the LRT system (thankfully)! Would we also crack down on very kind bus drivers who give people 2 hours instead of 1.5 on a transfer?
CplKlinger
Senior Member
I agree 100%, those are really great points!
Aaron Paquette says that administration looked into those, but the increase in fare recovery they'd bring wouldn't displace the costs involved. It just goes to show that, like you said, it's better to improve service delivery than trying to squeeze every penny out of riders.
BASE
Active Member
Curious why you say thankfully?
superelevation
Active Member
Vancouver thought the same before they got them and realized fare evasion was a lot worse than expected
DutchBoy
Active Member
Partly this:
At the core, because they don't really tackle a meaningful problem. To me, I prefer more transit use over squeezing every penny out of people. Who is most likely to evade a fare? Someone who is either struggling to make ends meet, or someone who is just a bad actor. In the case of the latter, gates are easily circumvented, especially since we don't have a lot of "eyes on the street". If gates are built to be very obstructive, that makes the system feel more like a prison rather than a people-focused mover.
Combined with the possibility of automatic gates causing accessibility problems (e.g. a turnstile or gate catching on a loose strap on a stroller or wheelchair), that that they're another set of equipment we'd need to purchase and install (smart fare procurement leaves me pessimistic), and that they could fail at any point, further restricting access (like the escalators that never fail to fail - even now there's not copious amount of traffic and snow to blame)...
I think transit needs to be as welcoming and convenient as possible to become an enticing alternative to driving; the barriers of adding barriers are significantly greater than the benefits.
Aaron_Lloyd
Active Member
Took the train yesterday and completely forgot to tap off at Clareview and still haven't been charged which is a bit surprising, would have thought they'd just assume my journey and charge me overnight. Curious how long it takes for the card to be charged when you forget to tap.
Also looking at the capping status, my ETS fares seem to be counting towards non-ETS caps. Not sure if this is intended behaviour or if they just haven't programmed the system in a way to differentiate the different types of fare yet.
Also looking at the capping status, my ETS fares seem to be counting towards non-ETS caps. Not sure if this is intended behaviour or if they just haven't programmed the system in a way to differentiate the different types of fare yet.
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CplKlinger
Senior Member
The cap thing is definitely a bug, and the first one probably is as well; please make sure you report them on the online platform they gave pilot participants! Regarding caps: Other participants I heard from have tried transferring between systems, and their caps have been applied correctly - applying only to the local/commuter systems that they tapped for.
Avenuer
Senior Member
From Stadium LRT:
Seamusmuldrew
Active Member
CplKlinger
Senior Member
There was an issue with some scanners where when the doors opened, they'd remain on the "Door closed, do not scan" screen. I think this is their workaround, because it's more important to make tapping convenient than it is to stop the odd person from tapping off early (IE to avoid a commuter fare).
Fantastic. All that's left now is to cut down on the 1-2 second delay when you tap.
CplKlinger
Senior Member
The head of the smart fare program told me this regarding the launch of Arc to all adult-fare paying riders: "The pilot is continuing as we sort through a few outstanding issues. While launch depends on the timing of the fixes, launch will likely be more toward July / August."