[sustran] Re: Info on Free Public Transport or Transit

[Chris Bradshaw]

> >From Dave Wetzel in London on this:
. . . .
> Cashless Bus.
> To be introduced London-wide in 2006.
> Over 85% of paxs already have passes etc. (Bus passes, Travelcards,
> Oyster
> Pre-Pay, Bus Saver cardboard tickets).
. . .
> The object is to reduce dwell times at bus stops and hence improve the
> service and attract even more paxs.

If an important consideration, when looking at fare-free systems, is the
amount of time and effort required to collect fares and visually check
unlimited-ride passes, then the introduction high-tech _fare cards_ might
overcome this.

With such cards, scanners at the entrances of the transit vehicle
automatically note when the rider enters and then leaves, charging for the
difference.  No time is taken.

Fare cards also overcome the current rationale for a) offering unlimited use
over a set period of time (a month in North America), b) charging by the
ride (vs. by distance), or c) charging the same regardless of time of
day/week or vehicle amenities (e.g., express routes with high operating
speeds and perhaps amenities.

Fare cards also can accommodate different user classes, charging some users
less per unit used.

The cards also can allow trips to mix transit, taxi, rideshare, etc in the
same trip, with one card being used to charge for the access.

Finally, the card allows transit systems to actually track usage accurately,
and by user (getting a profile of choices made by each user, perhaps mixing
demographics to get data to feed sophisticated computer models).

I am a fan of people paying for what they get.  Walking is the highest mode
in the transportation hierarchy, so we shouldn't be subsidizing people to
avoid it.

Chris Bradshaw
carshare entrepreneur, Ottawa
("the only good car is a shared car")