nomarandlee |
Mar 23, 2009 7:05 AM |
:previous: Just par for the course. SSP is known for first discussing urbanity, only slightly second is the brave righteous indignation of liberal folk about all of the diabolic evils of anything right of center (inside this country at least).
Quote:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...0,398128.story
Metra service: Why Metra is riding slow train to future
Conductors still manually check tickets, collect cash fares
By Richard Wronski | Tribune reporter
March 23, 2009
Since Metra was formed more than two decades ago, people have made the use of credit cards, cell phones and the Internet second nature.
But Metra conductors still ply the aisles as they did back in 1983, punching paper tickets by hand. And while other transit agencies provide alerts about delayed trains on Web-enabled cell phones, Metra customers stuck on platforms rely on squawky public-address announcements that sound straight from the Thomas Edison era.
Despite ridership that has soared to a record 85 million, Metra still operates, some argue, as if it's stuck in the past.
And don't get people started on the usefulness of Metra's Web site.
So if Metra really aims to be "the way to really fly" in the 21st Century, here are some suggestions from passengers and transportation experts. They're not all about technology, but that's a good place to start:
Paper tickets
Metra runs on paper, as in paper tickets. Although the majority of riders use monthly passes, passengers in January still bought more than 666,000 one-way tickets or used 10-ride tickets, which conductors have to punch individually.
Conductors also sell tickets on board, which can be time-consuming when trains are crowded.
Checking every ticket is necessary, Metra says, because it has an "open" boarding system, unlike the CTA and other closed rail systems that use turnstiles.
Other open rail systems have done away with punching and checking individual tickets. For example, conductors on Boston's Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority check tickets with hand-held electronic devices.
"Electronic fare collection is the standard almost everywhere," said Joseph Schofer, a transportation expert at Northwestern University.
On Caltrain, a commuter rail line operating between San Francisco and San Jose, passengers buy tickets from vending machines and conductors make random checks. Anyone without a ticket faces a $250 fine.
Credit cards
It's cash or checks only on Metra. The line doesn't take plastic because of the processing fees that credit-card companies impose, Metra spokeswoman Judy Pardonnet said.
This would amount to millions of dollars a year and would have to be passed along to customers, she said.
The CTA and other commuter lines accept credit and debit cards while allowing riders to buy tickets from fare vending machines.
Installing vending machines at 240 stations on 11 train lines would be cost-prohibitive for a service that is convenient but not crucial, Pardonnet said.
DePaul University transportation expert Joseph Schwieterman said he was struck by how easy it was to buy a $2 ticket with a credit card on Portland's MAX light-rail system. Not allowing this on Metra "is a shame," he said.
Meanwhile, other transit systems are bypassing tickets altogether in favor of "smart" versions of MasterCard and Visa cards containing computer chips. These "touch and go" cards don't need to be swiped, allowing quicker boarding.
MasterCard has had a trial under way with the New York transit system since 2006. The CTA said it plans to do the same next year.
Train tracker
For harried commuters, few experiences are more grating than making a mad dash to the station, only to discover that the train is running 15 minutes late.
The practice of manually checking tickets and collecting fares strikes some riders as harmlessly quaint. But it riles others who have to dig down for cash or sign a check because Metra won't take plastic.
A system similar to the CTA's Bus Tracker would help by sending service advisories directly to a customer's BlackBerry or similar device.
Metra already keeps track of its trains with global positioning system (GPS) technology and posts service advisories on its Web site, metrarail.com. It also uses this information to make station announcements over a low-tech public-address system.
But riders such as Kirk Hartley of Orland Park want more.
"Riders for years have been asking for something very basic—to be able to sign up for e-mail alerts for service interruptions, which the airlines have been doing for years," Hartley said.
Metra says it will award a contract this year to upgrade its Web site, which will allow the line to offer a train tracker system.
Other commuter rail lines, including those in Boston and Long Island, N.Y., already offer real-time information on train schedules, alerts and service advisories.
Web site
The coming improvements to the Web site are long overdue, say experts and customers who agree the site is outdated.
"The Metra Web site looks like an old paper [railroad] schedule posted on the Web," Schofer said. "It is not easy to find or see what you are looking for. And it is not interactive."
For attractiveness and ease of navigation, the mass-transit gold standard might be the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's site, mbta.com.
Wireless Internet access
Although Metra riders can use laptops, they can forget about accessing the Internet.
The MBTA boasts that it offers first-in-the-nation free Wi-Fi service on its commuter trains.
The Boston-area agency plans to have at least two coaches on each train Wi-Fi-enabled by spring.
The MBTA says it costs about $1 million to install the hardware, plus about $270,000 a year to service, but the agency expects to make up the cost in additional ridership.
Seat hogs
Passengers who take up more than one seat are a common target of barbs in Metra's on-board newsletter, On the Bi-Level.
If trains are crowded, conductors are expected to remind riders to put bags or packages on the floor or luggage rack and to flip over seat backs.
"Frequently the conductor will go through the cars and mention it when people are taking up more than their fair share" of space, Pardonnet said.
Cell phone noise
So you've found a seat and settled in, only to discover another bane of rail commuting: the rider who thinks phone conversations should be conducted in a booming voice.
Metra says it broadcasts reminders and posts notices asking for courtesy, and conductors occasionally remind passengers to be considerate.
But designating "quiet cars" or requiring cell phone users to talk in vestibules would be impractical, Pardonnet said.
Toilets
Metra riders have long been challenged in finding convenient toilets.
In August, Metra announced it would cut the number of toilets to install more seats. The goal is to reduce the percentage of cars with toilets from 60 percent to 50 percent of the fleet.
Metra chief Phil Pagano vowed that every other car will have a toilet but added that he didn't believe passengers would notice the difference.
Bar cars
Metra also decided last year to shut down its remaining 10 "refreshment" cars, where alcoholic beverages were sold.
Patrons were upset, although some riders found the party atmosphere on the cars to be irritating. Now, fans BYO and party on.
Food and drink
Except for events such as Taste of Chicago or on New Year's Eve, Metra allows passengers to bring drinks on board.
Food is also permitted, although some passengers are sure to find the smell of someone else's sweet-and-sour shrimp dinner annoying.
"We don't have a problem with messes on the trains," Pardonnet said. "People seem to be pretty cooperative with cleaning up after themselves."
rwronski@tribune.com
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