Posts tagged Unlimited Passes
-
How could Metro share regional bus pass revenue?
Last week, we discussed why regional bus providers are unhappy with the current regional bus pass arrangement, and why some sort of revenue sharing agreement is vital to maintaining bus pass flexibility for customers. Today, we’ll look into what some of the options are for a sharing proposal. First, we’ll look at my recommended proposal. Under this… Keep reading…
-
Breakfast links: Transportation is for people
Have a tip for the links? Submit it here. Keep reading…
-
Arlington may quit regional bus pass without revenue deal
Metrobus pass holders currently enjoy free rides on all the regional bus transit providers, from DASH to Ride-On, Connector to “The Bus.” Right now, WMATA does not share any pass revenue with those transit agencies. This has become a sore point with Arlington’s Chris Zimmerman, County Board Member and a member of the WMATA Board of Directors. At a recent… Keep reading…
-
“Peak of the peak” makes flexible passes more crucial
The new “peak of the peak” surcharge is forcing Metro to adapt their existing weekly rail passes, which offer free rides up to $2.65 for the “Short Trip Pass” and free rides of any length for the Fast Pass. At a WMATA Board committee meeting last week, staff announced their intention to let the passes apply during “peak of the peak” periods,… Keep reading…
-
SmarTrip Web site, passes coming this year
SmarTrip upgrades including a self-service Web site to check your balance will be launching in July, according to a presentation to the WMATA Board for this Thursday. The Web site will initially let riders register SmarTrip cards and see their balance and recent history. In October, the Web site will add “autoload” capability, letting riders enter a credit… Keep reading…
-
Rethinking Metro’s passes, part 3: A new pass proposal
Yesterday, we talked about Metro’s existing rail and bus pass system, and some key features and ideas that should guide a redesign. Based on those considerations, here are my proposed weekly passes for Metro: Buy Bus, Get Rail Free. Off-peak rail usually has some spare capacity available. But a bus flash pass holder has a choice between pay-per-use rail and free bus. Since… Keep reading…
-
Rethinking Metro’s passes, part 2: Benefits and principles
Metro’s SmarTrip upgrades give us the opportunity to improve the current set of passes. Should we have passes at all? Should everyone just pay per ride? Probably not. Passes offer benefits to riders, the transit agency, and the region. Riders: The benefits to riders are fairly obvious: pass users get all the transit they need for one price. This encourages additional… Keep reading…
-
Rethinking Metro’s passes, part 1: Passes today
Since Metro will now upgrade Smartrip to allow passes by mid-2010, there is now an opportunity to decide whether to keep the existing passes or develop a new system of passes. Upgrading the SmarTrip software opens up new possibilities that were not feasible with the old token, paper pass and magnetic stripe card system, or with the old SmarTrip farecard system. Capital Transit… Keep reading…
-
SmarTrip passes, autoload, Web site now coming mid-2010
Metro is now promising the long-awaited SmarTrip upgrades by mid-2010, including passes, a Web site to check your balance, and automatic reloading. Keep reading…
-
SmarTrip upgrades delayed… again
New features won’t be coming to SmarTrip this year after all, except for the new “bins” for SmartBenefits. In a press release announcing the SmartBenefits change, Metro added this item: Keep reading…