As part of Metro's Moving Transit Forward (i.e. the long-range plan you all participated in creating last year), Metro is going to be studying and implementing some passenger amenities to improve the current transit system. This is in addition to the service/mode expansions (like BRT and/or a new light rail line) that are the most-discussed aspects of the plan.

I think we can consider the new fare collection project, though it has already been under study for some time, as a part of that general category of "things that will make it easier to use transit in St. Louis." What do you guys think?

http://www.nextstopstl.org/1396/new-tec ... -to-metro/

I like the smart card idea, load the amount you need and reload if balance gets low, pay as you go. Also, they need to lower the price of the day pass from $7.50, I remember it used to be $3.00! Also, Metro and MCT needs ingrate some of their systems together. I mean by that allow Metro bus riders to ride MCT buses using a regional pass without paying much extra to do so, though there might already be something like this, but its not really much known.

jmstokes wrote:Agree completely. I love seeing little, on the ground improvements like this. I had an interesting weekend exploring the Boston MBTA system. I need to make a blog and put up some commentary I think.

I have a travel blog, where I post pictures and journeys from my world travels, as well as, my thoughts about public transportation in cities I visited. I also posted many pictures I took of buses as well.

I like the idea. I think there are a lot of people who like riding metrolink who don't ride the buses. One of the reasons is uncertainty about how much it costs, how you pay, and what happens if you don't have exact change. They would rather avoid the bus. With metrolink, you can take your time and get your ticket in a machine and know you've already paid (and validated) to ride before you board.

Anything you can do to make the bus less complicated, the more people will ride it. Here are a few other things you could consider.

1. Simplify the bus fare system (which is what you propose for 2012)
2. Make the routes logical and consistent and well publicized, like the metro link routes. Everyone knows where they go.
3. Make the bus ride smoother. Metrolink is a very smooth ride. Buses have lots of fast stops and starts and non-banked curves. Very uncomfortable. Put acceleration (Gs) sensors in buses occasionally and rate the drivers on how low than can keep the jerking around to make the ride smooth like a train.
4. Metrolink is perceived as cleaner than buses. Make sure the buses are clean and then publicize.
5. Metrolink trains come every 10 or 15 minutes, so you don't have to check a time schedule on when it will arrive, since another is only a few minutes away. Buses are on fixed schedules. Maybe a big sign at each bus stop that car drivers could see when they drive by every day would get them used to the exact times a bus will arrive at that stop, and remove one more item of uncertainty associated with riding a bus.

Setting up the online system that let's people put in origin and destination helped a lot in reducing the mysteries behind riding a bus. But it isn't well known. It needs to be publicized more.

Digital signs telling you arrival time and destination of the next bus/train, works great in Europe

Personally, I think the fare card system will be a huge improvement. As an occasional user, nothing frustrates me more than having to root around for exact change to take the bus, or the - until recently - requirement to pay cash for a Metrolink ticket. But I'd gladly put $10 or $20 on a card and use it when I need.
Next up, pretty please, screens at bus stops that tell you when the next one's coming? Let's face it, they don't always run on time. Would be nice to have some clue when the next one will show up.

^ Sounds like your implying to me or jmstokes.

I didn't say fares were high, I just said the cost for day passes are high. I travel around the country on my spare time taking pictures of buses and transit, while at the same time trying to understand each agency on how they manage their funding, fleets, and their service. I calculate from all the cities I've visited, the average costs for a day pass seems to be around $5.00. The cheapest day pass has to be Capital Metro in Austin, TX; only $2.00! I remember at one time Capital Metro had it only a $1.

Not long ago - within the last five years - Boston's T was 85 cents a ride. Until perhaps a year ago, a bus pass in Austin, Tex. was $10 a month. Both have since gone up, but they're still both way cheaper than St. Louis, and both are heavily used. Might be a lesson there.

My biggest problem with Metro's fare structure is the price for a 10-ride pass. Not only is there no discount, but they charge you the maximum possible - $27.50 - 10 combo rides. As a casual rider, that makes no financial sense to me, and the end result is I'm less likely to use Metro.

Doug wrote:If we're going to do smart cards then charge according to distance as an option as opposed to a flat rate. This way shorter trips would be better priced especially on the bus. Sometimes I don't want to walk a mile but then again paying two bucks can be high for that distance. Bistate should also make more money on long county buses with lower ridership as they are highly subsidized.

This might be the most logical thing you've said....ever. Even though you did get all Debbie Downer at the end.

Beer City wrote:Digital signs telling you arrival time and destination of the next bus/train, works great in Europe

Digital signs would be nice, but I'd settle for a paper schedule posted at the stop! Most stops don't even tell you when the last bus is... Orange County buses (and probably elsewhere) have a cool system where you can text message a number and you'll get a reply with when the next bus will arrive. Pretty handy.

Post bus schedules and maps in bus shelters. Nice big, easy to read ones. Big maps too. At major stops an electronic "Bus XX arrives in Y mins" sign. The actual time based on the bus' location at the moment, not the schedule.

Some stops could use a power wash of the sidewalks. There are often stains and gum all around. Litter bugs are a problem too. Not sure you can do much about them besides putting trashcans nearby, which are already at many stops.

Ask Google to add the option of showing a bus route on Google Maps.

quincunx wrote:Post bus schedules and maps in bus shelters. Nice big, easy to read ones. Big maps too. At major stops an electronic "Bus XX arrives in Y mins" sign. The actual time based on the bus' location at the moment, not the schedule.

I emailed Metro about adding schedules and maps to some of their shelters two years ago, but I remember they said it wasn't something they wanted to do. Their reply said it wasn't in their plans, and it would be costly to install and prone to vandalism.

What Metro needs is a bus tracker, like the one Chicago CTA uses. Click the route you want to see buses and where they are along a route. Very handy tool on the smartphone! Also, Metro needs to lower its fares for day passes and multi-use passes, $7.50 and $2.75 is quite steep and it doesn't encourage many to give Metro a try. Its cost prohibitive sometimes, when you compare driving a car, cost of fuel with Metro bus.

For the person who said MCT/Metro fares should be integrated, they are! It will be even easier w/smart cards but I use my Metro pass to ride the MCT express bus to/from work already.

I like the idea of fare zones/paying more for longer distances. It makes sense to me but it would be hard to implement without smart cards. With them, who knows? I am not involved in that aspect of Metro at all, so I'm just speculating as a layperson, but I know they used that system in Portland. I will say, however, that I found the fare zoning intimidating and wouldn't have been comfortable with it except that I had an unlimited all-zones pass that was subsidized through my school (i.e. didn't have to pay attention to the zones at all). So I wonder if zone fares might drive some people away? Just a thought.

I know Metro tries to keep fares reasonable in comparison to other systems. And yes, some routes are more subsidized than others. When you think about some of those routes, though, know that one of the reasons Metro decides where to put certain routes is not just the people the bus itself serves, but the Call A Ride customers who would lose their service if that bus route went away. (Call A Ride zones are tied to fixed-route transit - buses and trains.) So that's another consideration that isn't visible when you're just looking at who's on the bus.

Not saying this is anything on the table at Metro, just something I've seen talked about on transit blogs, but what do you guys think about a completely free-to-ride transit system? I like the idea in some ways but I also worry that people don't value what they don't pay anything for. What do you guys think?