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He's becoming one of us
By adamg on Tue, 09/12/2006 - 2:29pm
When Josh Ourisman was getting ready to move from San Francisco to Cambridge, he puzzled over all the complaints on Boston-area blogs about the MBTA - which seemed a far more convenient system than his BART.
Thanks to the T's current dual token/CharlieCard system, he's puzzled no more:
... Even now, at least a month into the transition, if I want to go to Harvard Square (as I did on Saturday) I have to buy a $1.25 CharlieTicket to get there, then a $1.25 token to get back. Of course if I didn't realize that Harvard Square didn't have their CharlieTicket machines installed yet I'd probably end up getting a $2.50 CharlieTicket thinking I could use it to get home only to be surprised when 1) I couldn't, and 2) they only have one window open selling tokens at Harvard Square on a Saturday afternoon so there's an enormously long line. Long story short, I walked home to Central Square. ...
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Comments
MBTA equipment comes from a yard sale.
When the "T" went about buying the new Charlie card system, why didn't they talk to the folks in Washington? There, you need to insert your card both when you get on and when you exit so that the proper fare is collected, based on distnce travelled. It also gives the DC Metro system the greatest future flexibility in adjusting fares. But not in Boston, where we know everything and wouldn't deign to ask about someone elses's experience. The result? We bought a fare system that is already obsolete. Note that the card is inserted only when you get on. The equipment isn't set up for an exit fare at most stations. (Although I'm guessing they must adjust for this somehow at the outlying stations like Quincy-Adams and Riverside.) I feel like the fare equipment was purchased at a yard sale.
MBTA wants to move to a single uniform fare
The T's fare increase, which is very much tied to the Charlie Card system, proposes a uniform fare for all subway rides, regardless of distance. The current extra fares for trips to Newton, Quincy, and Braintree are to go away.
Their model is more like New York City's than DC's.
Rumor is that MBTA is
Rumor is that MBTA is legally required to buy from the lowest bidder, which is part of the reason the T has so many failures. Like the Breda cars and before that, the Boeing LRVs. The Charlie card/ticket system appears to be the latest example of buying from the lowest bidder.
The Charlie system sure does have a lot of flaws: ticket machines that are slow (slower than a coke machine which has more moving parts), ticket machines that break down often which causes long lines at the remaining machines, tickets themselves are easily damaged with the money left on the ticket lost forever or difficult to recover, and a "fare theft" rate that is probably higher than with the previous turnstyles. And all the discarded Charlie tickets that are littered everywhere in the stations. The paper cost must be high, maybe higher than the old tokens cost.
All this because turnstyles or gates that accept paper bills and coins cost more than a token or Charlie ticket system so the T gets the Charlie system. Or so I've heard.
DC trains vs Boston trains
In DC your fare changes depending on how far you travel in the system. Taking a train only one or two stops is much cheaper than taking a train from an entire loop.
In Boston, it costs $1.25 no matter where your going. As long as you don't go outside a toll booth, it's $1.25. I have an appointment that will take me from the Blue to the Red to (if I feel lazy) the Green. For $1.25.
True, if I want to go from Kenmore Square to Coply it will cost me $1.25 as well. But then...
It's one of the quirks we deal with to live in this wonderful city.