In Metroblogging Seattle’s write-up of BRT in Quinto, Naomi says “You pay as you enter the stop, so that when the vehicle stops, it is quick to enter.” Wow, that’s a great idea, and makes me wonder, how will people pay for Link? The Tacoma link is free, so there’s no precedence there. Way down in the South Bay, VTA has machines on the track to buy tickets and then it’s a proof of payment system. SkyTrain in Vancouver works the same way. BART, and most other heavy rail systems, have turnstyles and ticket machines. Street cars in San Francisco are pay as you enter, like buses in Seattle. I’m guessing Link will work the VTA/Skytrain way and not the BART way, but I’ll make sure when I go to the tour lunch tomorrow and see completed (!!) stations.
MAX in Portland works the VTA/Skytrain way, and I agree, it’s quick and efficient!
Max is a model for link in a lot of ways. If you look at metro portland’s transit ridership numbers, they are like that of a city twice as dense.
I once asked a Sound Transit planner this at an open house, and he said it would probably be the honor system, like the Sounder.
You buy the ticket from a machine on the platform, and periodically someone goes around and checks the tickets, fining anyone who doesn’t have one.
I wonder how much they lose on the “honor system”? I rode the Sounder yesterday, of which I am a huge fan of too bad I don’t get to ride it often as I would like. Seattle to Tukwilla 16 minutes. Beat that! I have rode to Tacoma as well a couple of times and I have never been asked by a conductor or someone with the agency to show a proof of purchase or anything like that. I am guessing MAX loses some as well. I always got on at Lloyd where the ride free is, but I know some didn’t have tickets.