General MBTA Topics (Multi Modal, Budget, MassDOT)

[saulblum]

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

As of July 1, with the new fares, commuter rail riders will be forced to pay $3 extra when paying on-board, even if the starting platform has no ticket machine. And outside the downtown stops and stops shared with Red or Orange Line stations, hardly any commuter rail platform has machines.

http://www.mbta.com/fares_and_passes/rail/

Commuter rail single ride tickets purchased before boarding (at a ticket window or machine) are discounted $3.00 from on-board purchases.

Single-ride tickets are also now valid for only 14 days; they used to be valid for 180.

The T made no effort to publicize this change and did not mention it at the fare hearings over the winter. Most commuter rail fares will have nearly doubled with the new fares July 1.

 

[omaja]

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Word from Uhub is they that popcorn sellers attract unwanted animals. Not sure if it's true or not, but that's the T's thinking. ATMs still seems to be a mystery.

Perhaps they have a contract with ATM provider(s) that has/have exclusivity agreements with particular banks? I'm not sure, for example, whether the aforementioned BofA ATM at Park Street is bank-owned or contracted out.

As of July 1, with the new fares, commuter rail riders will be forced to pay $3 extra when paying on-board, even if the starting platform has no ticket machine. And outside the downtown stops and stops shared with Red or Orange Line stations, hardly any commuter rail platform has machines.

Just to clarify - I read the surcharge as $2 during peak hours (whatever those are) and $1 during non-peak times. There was no mention of $3 at any time. Also the surcharge would only apply at stations with a ticket office or contracted vendor. Therefore, any station without an office or machine would not be subject to the surcharge.

 

[saulblum]

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Just to clarify - I read the surcharge as $2 during peak hours (whatever those are) and $1 during non-peak times. There was no mention of $3 at any time. Also the surcharge would only apply at stations with a ticket office or contracted vendor. Therefore, any station without an office or machine would not be subject to the surcharge.

Incorrect. Check out the updated fare page --

http://www.mbta.com/fares_and_passes/rail/

The fares shown are the higher fares, with the note that a $3 discount is applied when the ticket is bought before boarding.

The T snuck this in over the past few weeks. There was no mention of it during the hearings.

That 9-minute ride from Waverly to Porter will now cost $8.50, unless you know ahead of time you will be riding within the next two weeks and can get to a ticket machine or sales location and pre-purchase a ticket. Many stops have no nearby sales locations.

If there is a precipitous drop in weekend ridership because of this new policy, T management only has itself to blame.

 

[KentXie]

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

I feel sorry for the guy collecting the tickets. I'm pretty sure that many customers will be unaware of this when they board and it won't surprise me if I hear on the news that arguments and scuffles have occurred on the commuter rails.

 

[whighlander]

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

I feel sorry for the guy collecting the tickets. I'm pretty sure that many customers will be unaware of this when they board and it won't surprise me if I hear on the news that arguments and scuffles have occurred on the commuter rails.

Kent -- There's some plan to implement an app for ticketing so that you can use your smart phone as the ticket machine and the ticket


T invites commuter rail riders to sign up for updates on smartphone ticket app
06/11/2012 4:52 PM
By Colin A. Young, Globe Correspondent

The MBTA’s plan to allow commuter rail customers to purchase and display tickets on their smartphones took a step closer to becoming a reality over the weekend, when the MBTA launched a website for customers to sign up for project updates. T officials said the website is the first step in a process that will also involve a pilot program this fall.

Customers with an iPhone, Android, or BlackBerry will eventually be able to download a free application that will serve as an interface to buy one-way, round trip, 10-ride, and monthly tickets and passes using debit or credit cards, the T said. The app is being developed by Masabi US Ltd., a firm that has created similar apps for rail agencies in England....

The app will also serve as the ticket itself, Davis said. Once a rider purchases a pass, it can be displayed on the phone’s screen, and validated by a conductor...

Davis said he expects the T to launch the pilot program on one commuter rail line in the early fall and expand the pilot to all lines by late fall. He said the MBTA will be the first commuter rail system in the country to roll out mobile ticketing.

“With this new and innovative approach, we are putting a ticket machine right in the palms of our customers’ hands,” Davis said in a statement when the project was announced in April.

With an estimated two-thirds of riders carrying smartphones, the application could also make fare collection more efficient on crowded trains and reduce on-board cash transactions for the MBTA, the agency said. The MBTA runs the nation’s fifth-busiest commuter rail network.

To sign up for program updates, visit mbta.com/fares_and_passes/passes/MobileTicketing/.

Of course this doesn't help anyone without the aforementioned smart phone or tablet -- still it is progress and the T deserves credit for implementing mobile technology on the leading-edge

 

[HenryAlan]

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Kent -- There's some plan to implement an app for ticketing so that you can use your smart phone as the ticket machine and the ticket


T invites commuter rail riders to sign up for updates on smartphone ticket app
06/11/2012 4:52 PM
By Colin A. Young, Globe Correspondent



Of course this doesn't help anyone without the aforementioned smart phone or tablet -- still it is progress and the T deserves credit for implementing mobile technology on the leading-edge

But many who pay the surcharge are in the "casual rider" category. They also won't know about the app or have it on their phone. The statement that the ride from Belmont to Cambridge will now be $8.50 is accurate, and I'm guessing nobody will take that ride unless they have an unlimited pass for that zone.

 

[saulblum]

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

But many who pay the surcharge are in the "casual rider" category. They also won't know about the app or have it on their phone. The statement that the ride from Belmont to Cambridge will now be $8.50 is accurate, and I'm guessing nobody will take that ride unless they have an unlimited pass for that zone.

Wait until the first time a family of four from Natick decides to spend a day in the city and is told it will cost them $41 just to get into Boston.

If the T's goal is to severely depress casual weekend ridership, this new fare policy is a great way to accomplish that. No other commuter rail system of which I am aware penalizes riders for buying on-board when there was no other way to pre-purchase a ticket.

 

[omaja]

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

If the T's goal is to severely depress casual weekend ridership, this new fare policy is a great way to accomplish that. No other commuter rail system of which I am aware penalizes riders for buying on-board when there was no other way to pre-purchase a ticket.

They're doing away with the surcharges on everyone and instead incentivizing prepayment -- just like they do with the CharlieCard versus CharlieTicket/cash on board system for the subway. This makes sense to streamline expectations. That said, I would think the fare increases alone are what will severely depress casual weekend ridership (along with the horrendously poor schedules); an extra $3 if people forget to buy before they board won't be the commuter rail's undoing.

 

[whighlander]

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Wait until the first time a family of four from Natick decides to spend a day in the city and is told it will cost them $41 just to get into Boston.

If the T's goal is to severely depress casual weekend ridership, this new fare policy is a great way to accomplish that. No other commuter rail system of which I am aware penalizes riders for buying on-board when there was no other way to pre-purchase a ticket.

At least the last time I was on Metro North they stuck you fairly heavily for purchasing on-board (Stamford to NH)

 

[omaja]

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

At least the last time I was on Metro North they stuck you fairly heavily for purchasing on-board (Stamford to NH)

This is true per the MTA:

Purchasing your ticket on board the train is a cash-only transaction and the most expensive option. It costs between $5.75 and $6.50 more.

So it would seem that the MBTA is just catching up. It seems like the MNR fare system is even more convoluted and absurd than the MBTA's current one and it includes some of the new restrictions the MBTA is putting into place (on-board surcharges, 14 days to use tickets v. current 180, etc.).

 

[saulblum]

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Metro-North has ticket machines at nearly every (or maybe all) stations.

The T commuter rail has pre-purchase options at very few stations.

 

[saulblum]

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

They're doing away with the surcharges on everyone and instead incentivizing prepayment -- just like they do with the CharlieCard versus CharlieTicket/cash on board system for the subway. This makes sense to streamline expectations. That said, I would think the fare increases alone are what will severely depress casual weekend ridership (along with the horrendously poor schedules); an extra $3 if people forget to buy before they board won't be the commuter rail's undoing.

A CharlieCard, once acquired, lasts for years, and you can add value on-board buses.

Few commuter rail platforms offer the option to pre-buy your ticket.

 

[omaja]

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

What percentage of the MBTA's commuter rail ridership does not originate or terminate within Zone 1A/a commuter rail station with ticket machines or offices? My guess is it is pretty small, meaning the vast majority of riders have full access to prepay at any the various stations in Boston with ticket machines and offices. And in the one-off chance you forget to buy before you board, you can always pre-pay the return which would mean only $1.50 more/direction for a roundtrip. That is not unreasonable when it is pretty well advertised that they want people to prepay as much as possible.

 

[saulblum]

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

What percentage of the MBTA's commuter rail ridership does not originate or terminate within Zone 1A/a commuter rail station with ticket machines or offices? My guess is it is pretty small, meaning the vast majority of riders have full access to prepay at any the various stations in Boston with ticket machines and offices. And in the one-off chance you forget to buy before you board, you can always pre-pay the return which would mean only $1.50 more/direction for a roundtrip. That is not unreasonable when it is pretty well advertised that they want people to prepay as much as possible.

It doesn't matter if your trip terminates in Zone 1/1A. Unless you happen to be in the city at such a stop, or at a subway stop, within 14 days of your trip, and you know for sure you are taking an upcoming commuter rail trip, you still have no way to pre-pay for your ticket at most commuter rail stops.

The vast majority of non-pass-holding riders will have no way to pre-pay for their inbound trip.

If the single-ride ticket validity had stayed at 180 days, this would not be as much of an issue, because you could have a few tickets on hand and use them within six months.

 

[omaja]

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Saulblum, unless you have quantifiable numbers (stations without machines/ticket offices, percentage of passengers originating or destined for these station) there's really no way to measure how much of the ridership is affected, which is more telling than the number of stations where people are unable to prepay.

I don't have specific numbers, but if the subway is any indication, most commuter rail riders have monthly passes and that is where the MBTA makes The lionshare of its revenue; Joe, Sally, Joe Jr and Sally Jr Suburbanite coming into town on a one-off weekend visit isn't a high priority.

 

[saulblum]

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

According to the 2010 Blue Book -- http://www.mbta.com/uploadedfiles/documents/Bluebook 2010.pdf -- around 58,000 passengers took the commuter rail on weekends in 2009 (vs. 146,000 on weekdays). Assume half of those were inbound, so a little under 30,000. Most of those passengers would be boarding at non-zone 1A stops.

The Blue Book does not break down how many passengers are using passes vs. paying on-board. From casual experience, however, I would say that the large share of weekend riders are not regular commuters and would be using single-ride tickets. So let's say we have 20,000 weekend riders boarding at non-zone 1A stops and using single-ride tickets.

Now, how many of those have access to tickets in advance? Given that they're non-commuters, most likely do not get to a subway stop during the week. The T doesn't list which stops have ticket machines, but again, based on experience, there are very few stops with machines. The T does list third-party sales locations -- http://www.mbta.com/fares_and_passes/sales_locations/ -- and there are around 60 towns with a location listed. But many locations don't show Sunday hours. And does the T advertise these locations at the platforms themselves? I've never seen such signs.

What does this all mean? There are likely at least 10,000 riders each weekend that will not be able to purchase a ticket in advance, and will be penalized for the T's lack of ability to provide provisions for pre-purchasing. That's over a third of weekend ridership.

With an effective near-doubling of inbound fares for these riders, I would not be surprised to see a sizable dip in weekend ridership.

In addition, assuming these passengers do continue to ride, because they will be forced to pay on-board, this new fare structure will not achieve its stated goal of streamlining conductor operations and reducing the conductors' cash transactions.

 

[whighlander]

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Saulblum, unless you have quantifiable numbers (stations without machines/ticket offices, percentage of passengers originating or destined for these station) there's really no way to measure how much of the ridership is affected, which is more telling than the number of stations where people are unable to prepay.

I don't have specific numbers, but if the subway is any indication, most commuter rail riders have monthly passes and that is where the MBTA makes The lionshare of its revenue; Joe, Sally, Joe Jr and Sally Jr Suburbanite coming into town on a one-off weekend visit isn't a high priority.

Omaja -- Despite the huge number of far-flung CR Stations -- the vast majority of CR boarding occurs at a relatively few stations. I may be wrong, but I presume that these major CR Stations with the big parking lots probably have machines to buy tickets.

Looking more at the Blue Book data for CR lines (not stations) there is a huge disparity between the usage of the lines on weekdays versus weekends -- some lines have essentially no usage on weekends, others the usage is similar to weekdays

here's a summary of the data.
Note: with the exception of the summary total line I only have displayed the Inbound data as the usage is quite symetrical with a couple of flukes -- perhaps people coming in on Friday PM and going out Saturday AM?

Apollogize for the lack of formatting -- I tried to align the columns but the system rejected my attempt to seduce it to compliance

WEEKDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY
LINE INB OUTB TOTAL INB OUTB TOTAL INB OUTB TOTAL

ROCKPORT 3694 2009 1599
NEWBURYPORT 5733 1681 1384
HAVERHILL 5540 1366 1256
LOWELL 6677 1741 1325
FITCHBURG 4776 1493 1242
FRAMINGHAM 8846 1669 1437
NEEDHAM 3910 572 18
FRANKLIN 6755 1483 991
ATTLEBORO 10923 2421 1762
STOUGHTON 3892 -0 -0
FAIRMOUNT 691 -0 -0
MIDDLEBOROUGH 5034 918 884
PLYMOUTH 4789 686 613
GREENBUSH 3007 564 488

Total 74267 72694 140924 16603 17180 33783 12999 12794 25793

Rockport seems to use the line fairly constantly 7 days a week. By comparison Lowell has about a 4X ratio and Middleborough more than a 5X ratio

 

[saulblum]

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Omaja -- Despite the huge number of far-flung CR Stations -- the vast majority of CR boarding occurs at a relatively few stations. I may be wrong, but I presume that these major CR Stations with the big parking lots probably have machines to buy tickets.

Go to page 68 of the Blue Book to see weekday boarding figures for all commuter rail stops. While there are some stops that barely see any passengers, ridership is fairly well distributed across the system.

Most stops do not have sprawling parking lots, and even those that do, tend to not have ticket machines.

Pre-payment for single-ride tickets on the commuter rail has never been a priority. Just look at how CharlieCard integration was promised from day one of the card's introduction, and was never implemented.

If the mobile ticketing scheme is introduced on-time and works, then this will help soften the blow of the new fare policy. But even then, the T is still penalizing riders who do not have smartphones.

 

[whighlander]

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Go to page 68 of the Blue Book to see weekday boarding figures for all commuter rail stops. While there are some stops that barely see any passengers, ridership is fairly well distributed across the system.

Most stops do not have sprawling parking lots, and even those that do, tend to not have ticket machines.

Pre-payment for single-ride tickets on the commuter rail has never been a priority. Just look at how CharlieCard integration was promised from day one of the card's introduction, and was never implemented.

If the mobile ticketing scheme is introduced on-time and works, then this will help soften the blow of the new fare policy. But even then, the T is still penalizing riders who do not have smartphones.

Saul B -- see my subsequent post with the Line by Line data for InB m-F versus Sat and Sun

There is so much variability that its extremely difficult to draw any meaningful conclusion

 

[saulblum]

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Rockport seems to use the line fairly constantly 7 days a week. By comparison Lowell has about a 4X ratio and Middleborough more than a 5X ratio

If the weekend figures were recorded during the summer, that would make sense, given the beach destinations the Rockport line serves.