Post by Philip NasadowskiThey're expensive to buy because the industry refuses to decide on a
standard design, and instead insists on custom designs. This shouldn't
be hard to do - vending machines have been damm near standardized for
decades now - until very recently, a coke machine and a pepsi machine
were the same thing with different colors. Now, they're going their own
ways again, but then, Coke and Pepsi are much more solvent than any
transit agency in the US. Still, I bet within 10 years you see them
back to identical but different color boxes, just because it's cheaper.
Actually, there are a lot of differences among vending machines, and
some of them are pretty bad (I've known a number of people who own
businesses filling the machines. Not an easy way to make a living.
What surprises me is that coins not needed to make change get dropped
into a big metal box, they are not sorted. They have to be counted by
hand. The vending people (many of whom have limited vision), hate
dollar coins because they're too easily confused with quarters
(despite what the govt claims).
Also, there are big differences between food vending machines and
transit machines. Transit machines suffer a lot more abuse and must
be able to vend a high volume of tickets in a short period of time.
Today's Coke/Pepsi machines do not take credit cards or imprint
anything while transit machines do. The entire inventory value of a
Coke machine is modest compared to what could be done with stolen
tickets, credit card info, etc., from a transit machine.
Post by Philip NasadowskiThere's no real reason why the transit industry can't decide on a
standard ticket machine, but of course, everyone will make up stupid
'reasons' why they can't, just like we get stupid reasons why through
ticketing can't be done, etc.
I thought NJT and the MTA used the same mfr of machines. Unlike
earlier machines which had hard wired buttons, modern machines have
'soft" buttons that vary in function depending on what his shown on
the CRT screen.
Unfortunately, each system has its own fare system, often mandated by
politicians. Does NYC want to follow the Phila model of providing
free transit riders with commuter passes? I doubt it, and thus
special measures would be necessary.
Post by Philip NasadowskiInstall? Place on ground, plug into outlet. Even at SEPTA's union
rates, this isn't a bank buster. Central communications could be
cellular (as some vending machines might now be)
Presumably you can find the proper A/C power at a station if it is not
already available. But that's a cost.
You need a shelter for the machine, and a level secure location. Many
commuter platforms have neither and one must be provided.
Most signficiantly, you need comm lines from the machine to the agency
and then to credit card agencies for instant verification. The lines
must be installed and paid for. I doubt the old open wires resting on
bent over ancient wooden poles in the nearby swamp will do for this
service.
You will need a staff of secured personnel to collect cash and reload
blank ticket stock. You will need trained technicians to service
printers, coin counters, and electronics (if nothing else than to
reload ink). (IMHO NJT wastes a fortune on mag stripe ticket stock
which 99% of its customers won't use, but adds much to the cost of
paper).
Post by Philip NasadowskiPost by h***@bbs.cpcn.comEverybody is screaming for SEPTA to
adopt modern electronic ticketing without a clue how much such systems
cost nor how much they will save passengers.
Nobody's screaming that. What people ARE screaming about is an insane
policy of a defacto fare increase that SEPTA slid past the city and
state, under the guise of a 'step up' fare. It's NOT a step up fare,
it's a fare increase, pure and simple.
Sorry, but that's not correct. SEPTA clearly labeled it as a fare
increase and everyone knows that it is.
Various parties have been demanding a "modern smart card system" for
SEPTA, without a clue as to what a system would do or how it reduce
costs and improve revenues. People in NYC love Metrocard because it
represented a steep fare reduction, not because a plastic card
replaced the token. (If the old token turnstiles were to spit out a
free transfer good on a bus people would be just as happy.) The truth
is that Metrocard cost the MTA many millions of dollars which they
kept nicely hidden and no one wanted to find it.
Post by Philip NasadowskiPost by h***@bbs.cpcn.comUntil such time that SEPTA has 100% high platforms and automatic
doors, it will need full train crews.
No, it doesn't. Even NJT doesn't overcrew their trains in the insane
amount SEPTA does, and either did the LIRR. You did NOT see a conductor
per car on the LIRR, and the included territory with mixed platforms
(Port Jeff, etc).
A six car SEPTA train has no more crew on it than a six car NJT
train. Where SEPTA runs into trouble is that it runs mostly shorter
trains that other agencies don't run at all so a fair comparison can't
be made. A two car NJT M&E shuttle had two crewmen on it.
Post by Philip NasadowskiPost by h***@bbs.cpcn.comAccordingly, having fancy tickets will NOT elminate any crew jobs.
This doesn't justify a huge step up fare.
It wasn't intended to. BTW, the step fare is only about $1 or so, not
the high amount Metro North charges. And for a few MN stations, there
are no machines, but too bad.
Post by Philip NasadowskiPost by h***@bbs.cpcn.comMany train stations are near retail businesses and SEPTA
could contract with them to sell tickets.
What does a local store get for doing SEPTA's job? i.e., what % cut of
the revenue would they get?
Plenty of private businesses in the city now sell SEPTA transit fare
instruments. I don't know what the terms are. That could be expanded
to the suburbs.
Post by Philip NasadowskiPost by h***@bbs.cpcn.comI also note that people most hurt by SEPTA's new penalty policy are
off peak riders, the people SEPTA needs the most since they tend to be
more discreationary.
SEPTA doesn't need one class of rider more than any other, they need
every rider they can get, period.
SEPTA's rush hour trains are full or close to full. Additional rush
hour passengers represent a very steep incremental cost.
In contrast, there is plenty of offpeak capacity where the incremental
cost per new rider is very low.