Transiting: Tap And Go

Remember when it only cost a quarter to ride a bus, streetcar or subway train? 

It was as simple as taking a quarter out of your pocket or purse and dropping it into the fare box or ticket machine. You also got a transfer to your next leg of your journey for free, too!

As with everything over time, things got complicated. Fares began to rise. Not just base fares, but the introduction of scaled fares for longer journeys. You paid express fees, distance and zone charges if you were commuting well into the suburbs. 

Of course, that meant paying exact change. Including dollar bills. The task of feeding them into fareboxes and ticket machines were a challenge sometimes, thanks to aging bills that you had to coax into the slot to complete your fare payment. 

Where things got complicated was a combination of revenue challenges and solutions. Fare evasion has always been a huge challenge. Non-payment of fares cut into critical revenue and operations. It also spurned on the installation of secure faregates and other security measures to prevent fare evasion. 

What if you don’t have the bills and coins to ride? What alternatives do you have available to you?

Other than weekly and monthly passes, Stored Value Cards has been the primary method for fare payment.  They have evolved into to tap-to-pay fare systems that made payment for transit more convenient. 

If we have to ask when the first such card was introduced, it is probably in the 1970s. The Bay Area’s BART rail system allowed riders to get cards from ticket machines and add more than enough money to cover rides or an unlimited use pass for the month. The same method was used for various transit agencies across North America, mainly on their rail systems. The most iconic of these fare payment systems was the MetroCard, issued by the New York City Transit Authority. 

A better solution came about a few years later, when some transit agencies went with a permanent card. Around the same size as a credit or bank card, these Stored Value Cards enable the tap-to-pay system letting riders not worry about digging their pickets and purses for change to meet the exact fare requirement. 

Tap-to-pay systems are now common on public transportation systems around the world. Here in the Twin Cities, the Go-To Card is accepted on practically all transit agencies operating in the Metropolitan Council’s service area. Administered by the main transit operator in the Twin Cities, Metro Transit, the Go-To Card can pay for rides on suburban buses and Met Council-operated disabled services. 

These cards also foster more than just fare paying convenience. Reloading them is easy, especially when you have the official app for that card. No need to go to an office to do so in person. You can still use the website, but many transit operators now have apps for mobile devices that should be secure enough to reload the card when you are low on fares. 

Do these tap-to-pay systems work? Based on my experience – yes. While using Metro Transit and their Metro Mobility services, I make sure I have more than enough money on my Go-To Card before I take any trip. Being disabled, I am now on the Reduced Fare Go-To Card, which has been with me for a few years. Before that, I had the regular Go-To Card that has worked on most, if not all, of my trips. 

The Met Council transit agencies use a single tap at or before boarding. The light rail system does not have any fare gates, but fare enforcement is done by the Metro Transit police on board the trains. As long their readers sense you tapped your card before boarding, you should be fine. Otherwise, you’re going to get a ticket for multiple times the actual fare. 

In some of my travels, I ended up keeping three additional stored value cards. If the situation presents itself, I will use them again. That is, unless they change the fare payment system by the time I use one of those cards. 

A side note, did you know that there is a small community of transit users and fans that collects these cards? There are some that pursue special edition cards, such as the ones issues by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority (Metro).

Sometimes, change will eventually come with time. Recently, New York City’s MetroCard has given way to a new tap-to-pay stored value card, OMNY. That also spurred on a new fare gate set-up across the city’s subway network. This double change may come to a shock to some, but it is seen as progress. 

A tip for those traveling elsewhere while using public transportation – get the local card. While some transit systems will take your credit or debit card to pay for the ride, not every system is set up for those kinds of payments. Get the local card in advance or download the app to get set up with one. Also, know what is compatible with their local fare system before you start downloading apps and whipping out your bank cards. 

You could also get one loaded into your phone. You have seen many transit systems enabling systems for you which you just tap your phone instead of taking out an actual card to pay for your fare. That seems convenient, but there is always a concern about security issues for both the device and the fare system you're using it on. It's your choice which way you want to pay when using your device to do so.

Using public transit is easier these days. Thanks to stored value cards and the tap-to-ride system, you don’t need to dig in your pockets for exact fare again. We all could use some help with making things easier – and more affordable – these days. One look at fuel prices should help you consider taking public transit and using the tap-and-go system in your community during this current economic state of the world.

All photos by Randy Stern