After a week of bad press for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s TAP card, the Los Angeles Times jumped into the fray with an editorial. Acknowledging that LA Metro is trying to update and unify fare collection for over a dozen agencies that are used to operating independently, the editorial criticizes the smart card roll-out process to date for its complexity and inconvenience:
Eventually, when the painful transition is over, Los Angeles might have an efficient electronic pass system in which the same card can get passengers quickly and easily onto any bus or train in the county, no matter which agency operates it, without having to worry about coming up with correct change or getting a transfer slip. Meanwhile, though, the switch is proving to be a poorly planned, confusing mess, with parts of the system rushed into place before the rest was ready.
At issue last week were the agency’s turnstiles. Installed at a cost of $46 million, they are not yet operational because they can’t read the paper tickets and transfers still widely used throughout the region. Link to full editorial in the Los Angeles Times.
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