Missives from the 6th Floor

I'm talking here about frequent riders - the new system doesn't substantively change the process for purchasing a single trip. The paper ticket system - as "antiquated" and "inefficient" as it was, had several nice properties that the new system doesn't.

For example, each ticket type - walk-on, car, motorcycle - was a different color - so when a vehicle with 2 passengers pulled up to the toll booth, the driver could hand the ticket-taker three tickets (one car ticket for the car+driver, and one walk-on ticket for each passenger), and the taker could determine at a glance if the correct tickets had been handed over. After that glance, the car was good to go into the loading area. Total service time: < 2 seconds.

The new system involves handing the attendant three bar-coded ticket cards, which they need to scan, each of which produces a receipt, and each of which has to be returned to the driver of the car (and ultimately to the passengers). Total service time: around 8 seconds (by observation). Note that most of this time is the scanning of the bar-codes and waiting for the system to match the bar-code with a ride balance, and isn't something that gets faster with practice.

As another example - with the old ticket system, it was easy to tell if you had tickets left - you either had a bit of colored paper in your hand, or you didn't. The new system displays your remaining ride count as your ticket is scanned, but I've already seen people arrive at the ticket booth only to find that their frequent ride ticket is exhausted. Fun stuff when they've pulled into the "ticketed passengers only" line and have to then divert to the side, exit their car, and go buy a ticket from one of the sales booths.

And - my favorite as a motorcyclist - it takes cycle (motorized or not) riders much longer to complete their transaction. Instead of simply sticking a ticket in a cuff, or glove, and handing it over - knowing that in the unlikely event it got lost on the trip to the ferry it was only one ticket and hence not a huge deal - they need to secure a valuable multi-use ticket, and re-secure when the attendant returns it to them, all the while blocking the traffic behind them.

In any event - the affect of the new system is obvious during heavy commute times - the ticketed passenger line runs about one-third as fast.

Ah, progress...