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Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Trimet is way behind the curve on Fare collection
Yet they present the case like they are on the cutting edge, of course, STORY HERE!
So, the next time you are on a train or bus (especially at non-peak hours) look to your left. Now look to your right. How many of the riders you see do you think will use such a sophisticated system?
This reminds me of when they installed all the "card only" ticket machines...the number one complaint became "Why doesn't this machine take cash?" and many an argument was had about credit cards vs. cash.
Not to say that such a system won't get used, just not by as many riders as they would like to think.
Max has a good point...though in all the years I've been 'at it' I have only seen one person use their phone to buy a ticket at the machine (yes, surprise, the ticket machines here do utilize 'near-field' {or something like} tap readers and you can buy ticket using phone as credit card). But I don't think this particular user fit the 'normal' TriMet rider profile...
So about the phone app, internet is the way that works right? Somehow data gets transferred electronically I suppose. So no internet no phone tickets I assume.
I know hackers will be working on ways to break that phone app or duplicate it.
The debit type system works because its not specific to the transit, it can be used in lots of locations.
No matter what they will never be able to end paper tickets paid with cash, nor should they.
Well maybe that's a question Chad can answer -- how many people up in Seattle are using ORCA vs paying cash?
From Joe Rose's own article:
Still, "somewhere in the realm of 70 or 80 percent of the region's trips are now using ORCA," said Geoff Patrick, a Sound Transit spokesman. That's about 400,000 e-fare rides a day.
Also, TriMet is on the cutting edge in the sense that the planned system is open and not proprietary. ORCA and every other fare system currently in this country requires the transit agency to essentially set up and run a bank that's unique to that transit agency with it's own accounts, cards, etc.
TriMet is basically just going to hire payment processors to do the work.
And by the time TriMet's system is ready, iPhones, most other smart phones, and many credit cards will possibly support electronic payment. (This technology is something that current iPhones do not have)
7 comments:
So, the next time you are on a train or bus (especially at non-peak hours) look to your left. Now look to your right. How many of the riders you see do you think will use such a sophisticated system?
This reminds me of when they installed all the "card only" ticket machines...the number one complaint became "Why doesn't this machine take cash?" and many an argument was had about credit cards vs. cash.
Not to say that such a system won't get used, just not by as many riders as they would like to think.
Well maybe that's a question Chad can answer -- how many people up in Seattle are using ORCA vs paying cash?
Actually IMO the better question is: How many people will bother with a tap card, when they can pay with their phone?
Max has a good point...though in all the years I've been 'at it' I have only seen one person use their phone to buy a ticket at the machine (yes, surprise, the ticket machines here do utilize 'near-field' {or something like} tap readers and you can buy ticket using phone as credit card). But I don't think this particular user fit the 'normal' TriMet rider profile...
So about the phone app, internet is the way that works right?
Somehow data gets transferred electronically I suppose. So no internet no phone tickets I assume.
I know hackers will be working on ways to break that phone app or duplicate it.
The debit type system works because its not specific to the transit, it can be used in lots of locations.
No matter what they will never be able to end paper tickets paid with cash, nor should they.
Well maybe that's a question Chad can answer -- how many people up in Seattle are using ORCA vs paying cash?
From Joe Rose's own article:
Still, "somewhere in the realm of 70 or 80 percent of the region's trips are now using ORCA," said Geoff Patrick, a Sound Transit spokesman. That's about 400,000 e-fare rides a day.
use their phone to buy a ticket at the machine
I've done it! Though it's more of a curiosity as the technology is not currently wide-spread in this country.
Also, TriMet is on the cutting edge in the sense that the planned system is open and not proprietary. ORCA and every other fare system currently in this country requires the transit agency to essentially set up and run a bank that's unique to that transit agency with it's own accounts, cards, etc.
TriMet is basically just going to hire payment processors to do the work.
And by the time TriMet's system is ready, iPhones, most other smart phones, and many credit cards will possibly support electronic payment. (This technology is something that current iPhones do not have)
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