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ChineseTAPing Into the Future of Metro
A couple of days ago, the LA Times featured an article shedding some light on the mysterious TAP boxes you’ve been noticing (and tapping… don’t worry, I’m guilty too, it’s instinctual I think) in MetroRail stations, on buses, and at Orange Line Stations. These boxes are essentially high tech fare boxes, designed to take advantage of TAP (Transit Access Pass) cards, a new system of paying for your Metro rides throughout the city and county. While currently in a limited testing phase, according to the article TAP Cards will be widely available within the next two years.
So what is it that makes a TAP card so much better than the current system?
There are a number of ways to pay for your Metro rides currently. You can pay as you go, bringing exact change on buses and cash to train stations. Alternatively you can buy a Day Pass and pay once and then be good to go all day (unless you transfer to another non-Metro service). If you are a regular rider, you may opt (as I do) for a Metro Monthly Pass, where you pay a flat rate of $52 for a pass that lets you ride on any Metro Bus or train simply by flashing your card to the driver or officer. Of course the Monthly Pass only applies to Metro service, so if you ride other carriers (Big Blue Bus, Pasadena ART, etc.) you probably use an EZ-Transit Pass for $56 (plus zone fares) which gives you the freedom to ride virtually any bus in the county at the flash of a card.
None of these methods is particularly ideal. The problem with the exact change method is obvious, because in a society that is becoming increasingly cashless, exact change can be hard to come by. Plus it’s a hassle to hold up other riders when filling the fare collection box or miss a train because you were stuffing dollars in a ticket machine. The day pass is nice and affordable, but you still have the problem of having to have cash on hand, plus it’s not practical for regular riders. The monthly passes make your life a lot easier… once you have them. But they are only available at certain locations, and at certain hours, and if you wish to order one from the internet, the way it’s currently set up you only have a small window of opportunity. Plus, if you don’t ride every day of the month (perhaps you go on Christmas vacation in December), then it becomes less cost effective. All of the payment methods, with the exception of pay-as-you-go, present a problem for Metro because they make it difficult to easily track what lines fares are being used for.
TAP is supposed to change all of this.
The TAP Card (pictured above) will be the heart of this new Universal Fare System (UFS). According to the Transportation and Land Use Coalition, universal fare cards like the TAP make transit easier by offering a single card that can be used to access all forms on transportation in a particular region. No longer will you have to worry about getting the EZ-Transt pass if you think you may ride a Big Blue Bus this month, or holding onto extra change for that transfer if you have a Metro Monthly Pass. The line between Metro carriers and other municipal carriers (of which there are 11 in total) is blurred for the rider, yet allows all the transit agencies in the region to continue their independent operations.
TAP will unify the many transit carriers in Los Angeles.
Not having to worry about transfers is great, as is having a single card for all you transit needs, but how do you get your money onto the thing? According the the LA Times article, riders can load “passes” onto the cards (like student passes) or add credit to the card enabling it to be used as sort of a transit debit card. Supposedly this will be able to be done easily over the phone, internet, or in person, which will certainly be a pleasant change from having to ride out to the check cashing place to get your monthly pass. In addition, you should be able to have your card automatically “refilled” by attaching it to a bank account or credit card. If you look at the new ticketing machines at the Metro Rail and Orange Line stations, you’ll notice they seem to be set up for the potential to refill TAP cards or maybe even purchase TAP cards with a credit or debit card.
I also heard at a Transit Coalition meeting that TAP cards would solve the problem that monthly pass buyers sometimes go through when they don’t ride enough in one month to make the pass worthwhile. For example, if you bought a Monthly Transit Pass for $52, but for one reason or another only rode $45 worth of transit that month, you have lost $7. It would have been cheaper for you to have paid per ride, but less convenient of course. The TAP is supposed to change all this, because as a “smart card” it will know when you’ve ridden $52 worth, and thus essentially becoming a Monthly Pass and not charging you for any additional rides that month. But if you ride less than $52 worth that month, you will only be charged for the amount you have ridden, and not the typical $52. Whether this is true or not, I don’t know, but I like the concept.
The TAP system also offers a lot to the transit agencies in the way of data collection. Finally, Metro can measure ridership patterns empirically, instead of using “complex mathematical algorithms”. If riders choose to, they can “register” their cards, allowing Metro insight into their personal transportation patterns. Of course, riders worried about privacy can decline registration, and their data will be tracked as an anonymous number. I think this tracking of ridership patterns is great, because it will lead to improved service as Metro finds out with certainty which routes most riders take. Hopefully a more effective and rider-centered transit system will grow from the information they discover.
On the buses, the TAP cards seem like a perfect idea. A rider gets on, taps his TAP on the sensor, the bus driver hears the approving “beep”, and the passenger moves on. The bus driver doesn’t have to worry that someone is flashing him a fake or stolen day pass (TAP cards can be immediately “blocked” if lost or stolen), the rider doesn’t have to worry about fumbling around for change, and the bus loads quicker because of it which is good for everyone who wants to stay on schedule. However, the MetroRail and Orange Line still rely on the honor system (you’ve noticed the TAP machines in the stations don’t include turnstiles), so what’s to stop someone from walking past the TAP posts and jumping on the train with a fake TAP card or a real TAP card with no money on it? In this case, no data is tracked, plus someone is getting a free ride, which equals monetary loss. And if a cop gets on board and asks everyone to show their passes, how will he be able to differentiate between a legitimate pass and a pass that has no money on it? This is a problem that has happened on the Green Line in Boston with their UFS the Charlie Card. They have implemented roving police officers with handheld validators in order to combat the problem. Metro seems to have thought of this too, but I still wonder if installing turnstiles would have been a more effective, affordable, and sustainable method.
A handheld TAP validator for law enforcement officials.
The advent of the TAP system is very exciting for the future of our public transit system. If implemented properly it could reduce the hassles of fare payment for passengers, make the system more attractive to non-riders, and improve service through data collection which can then be used towards transit planning. From an outsiders perspective, it looks like Metro is doing things right. With the extensive testing they’ve been doing and the modern TAP infrastructure they’ve been installing, I have faith that once TAP is officially revealed to the public it will offer a massive improvement to the current system.
Discussion
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Please keep discussions civil: exercise Troll Controll.
I live in Boston, and our transit is a mess… we took a good system and implemented it so poorly I could pull my hair out.
My understanding (correct me if I’m wrong) was that the TAP machines in the subway stations could print out receipts which you flash to the officers.
Boston’s problem is a lack of consistency… we have tickets as well as cards, and the tickets are highly problematic and buggy (be glad LA has never used the tickets we use, our equipment is now identical otherwise; they probably don’t use the tickets because of how nasty they are)…
So some people insert a ticket, some people tap a card, some people pay cash, only the people who tap their card have some sort of evidence that they paid, so the T police will quickly give up our partial POP system. People who pay cash will get no receipt or any other proof that they paid, and so the T will never start handing out fines. The green line has turnstiles at the underground stations and pay-as-you-board above ground, so people who boarded in our downtown subway will also have no proof that they paid; they could’ve used a single-use ticket and have nothing on them at all.
I have a lot of faith in this, largely because LA and Boston basically took the same equipment (same fare vending machines, same cards, etc) and did vastly different things with it; LA’s system works, and Boston’s is a wreck.
The one thing that bothers me is that it’s unclear if Big Blue Bus is getting onboard with this initiative; some news stories have mentioned basically every county transit agency except Santa Monica.
You know what, I think you’re right about Big Blue Bus! I can’t find mention of them in any of the MTA documents, I had just assumed that Santa Monica was in on this. That’s no good at all.
If that’s the case, it may be worth it for folks to e-mail them… it could be that I’m too westside-centric ;p, but they strike me as the second-most important agency in the county, save for maybe DASH or something. I wonder if DASH is in on this, I’ll probably need to take DASH periodically for work…
The LA Times said 11 agencies were on board, on this(PDF) document from the MTA has an image on page 5 with 11 agencies listed on it: Antelope Valley Transit, Culver City Bus, Foothill Transit, Garndena Municipal, LADOT (which should cover DASH), Long Beach Transit, Metro, Montebello Bus Lines, Norwalk Transit, Santa Clarita Transit, and Torrance Transit. No Big Blue Bus! Email time…
Santa Monica is aboard. The agencies that take the EZ Pass are going to accept the TAP card.
The TAP card also replaces the Metrocard now used by Foothill Transit, Norwalk Transit, Montebello Bus Lines, Santa Monica’s Big Blue Bus and Culver CityBus.
what should be interesting is how much a “monthly pass” fare will increase if this actually happens. no way it stays at 52. which in my opinion, though i love the cheap fare, can not last much longer. either way, i agree, the idea of not losing the money, but also sticking to the “monthly rate” (whatever that ends up being) is a great idea.
If they want to make this a truly regional system they need to get OCTA on board, too.
At first, I was sort of freaking out about the barrierless system we have here, but now I like it.
Go to the subway system in New York: it looks like you’re going into jail. They had to install these floor-to-ceiling solid iron cages to keep people from jumping over the turnstiles or going in through the exits. It’s depressing to have to pass through these huge steel walls to get on to the train platform: the LA system is open, light and airy.
Based on spot fare checking, it seems that about 3% of the people don’t pay the fare, which is almost exactly the same as in New York. So, basically, the barrier system doesn’t work and it makes the whole train system feel like you’re going into a 200 year old insane asylum. One thing the MTA could probably due to make up more of this loss is have more fare inspectors roving the system: I only see them about 10% of the time I ride.
I think it’s worth pointing out that Tuan Stephen Lee is exquisitely manicured.
And, in all seriousness, San Diego MTS is rolling out a similar system this year.
LOL. Okay Robert you win. I didn’t even notice the true nature of Tuan Stephen Lee. Amazing.
i’ve always thought it was stupid we didn’t have the turnstiles like many other major metropolitan systems. i looked at it as a knock against LA. another bullet on the chart of maladies. however, i’ve decided as of late how much more i like it how it is. the tap pass, though in and of itself seems to have had many set backs, when/if it does get released and with all the specs that it could and should have, the way it is now in LA is great. most important being, the freedom and speed that you can save the way we have it now. and if they do have the roving fare checkers and it gets the same results then maybe we can finally have a leg up on many other systems.
Well, you said…
“If implemented properly it could reduce the hassles of fare payment for passengers, make the system more attractive to non-riders, and improve service through data collection which can then be used towards transit planning.”
Okay look. I like the concept of the TAP card, what it’s going to do with respect to the easiness and how it’s going to be convenient. But one thing YOU did not take into consideration, and that is what about those who are under the REDUCED FARE (example- College/Vocational, Senior or Disabled)?
I am a college student who pays $30 a month. So here is the thing, and it’ll tell you how it’s NOT going to attract riders:
First, I’ll go “tap” my TAP on a bus. That’s $1.25 I just spent on the card.
Then I transfer to the rail (Red, Blue, Green, or Gold). $1.25 fare, now I spent $2.50
Then I may transfer to another rail. $1.25. So that’s $3.75. Get me so far?
Now, take $3.75 and multiply it by 2, (Because I need to get back), and we get $7.50.
TAP would say I have spent $7.50 this day. So do this for I don’t know, 10 days? Move the decimal to the right, we get $75.00. That’s over TWICE what the reduced fare and even the monthly pass costs!
Like I said, TAP concept is fine, but I’d give my full support if they offered reduced fare rates to those eligible. No way do I see this “attracting” new riders. They’d think they save more by driving and spending for gas.
If anything, if I think it’s going to work the standard way, I would expect a loss of ridership. And loss of ridership will hurt the transit systems that are with TAP. It just resonates…
So many questions to be answered with this TAP system, and it may decide the fate of the ridership, or may not. Who knows?
Jason: All systems that implement this kind of system have been able to issue cards with various fare structures to the various people who need them. For disabled people, the LACTOA ID would likely *become* a TAP card; it’d serve as both ID and as fare payment, that’s what New York (reduced fare metrocard) and Boston (TAP pass) have done; I hold both cards, I used to live in both cities, and I maintain my credentials in both cities for traveling purposes.
Is the college card good on non-metro agencies? If it is, you’d likely get a similar TAP pass. If it’s not good on other agencies, they’d likely just continue issuing paper passes and let you get a regular TAP pass for other area agencies. But they’re not going to abolish passes with this system, that’s for certain.
Is the college card good on non-metro agencies?
No, but a sticker is available for Metro and Foothill as well as Metro and Long Beach Transit.
i assume, jason, this would be the same on reduced fare tap cards for students and the like.
I am a Pierce Student and last semeseter the tap card was given out for free. Now they dont anymore and I am would like to buy the card. does anyone know where I can buy one and how much ? I went to many diffrent places where they sell the tokens and passes and they have no idea where I should get it from. I have checked the sites and all I found was the go card for UCLA. does anyone know where I can go to find info or buy please comment or email at helterskelterbabe@yahoo.com