The province intends to implement a brand new fare payment system
for every transit agency in greater Toronto, and riders may want to
start scrutinizing both the potential advantages and pitfalls. Other
major cities have already changed over to a “smart card” system, yet
there have been problems -- both technical glitches and some
unplanned side-effects.
When New York
City introduced the MetroCard in the late 1990’s, riders for the
first time could transfer between bus and subway without paying a
second fare. Suddenly patronage soared, especially on the buses --
yet the transit agency did not add sufficient vehicles and crowding
became severe. The switch to MetroCard brought a dramatic drop in
fares for the average New Yorker, but the cash fare has jumped 25%
since then, and the city is facing another round of price hikes and
service reductions.
New York’s
experience says as much about technological change as it does about
the complicated political and financial situation of large transit
authorities. The Netherlands offers a contrast to the radical
changeover of the MetroCard. For decades, the small, densely
populated nation has had a unified fare system, based on paper
tickets that you stamped upon entering a bus or tram. Holland’s
recent move to a smart card was not very radical, and yet it
included a great deal of public consultation.
For those of us
in greater Toronto, a new way of paying will be accompanied by
another big change -- a region-wide transit board to oversee the TTC,
GO and a host of other separate agencies. The TTC, which moves over
80% of the region’s transit riders, will be most affected. For
decades, we have survived on tokens, tickets and transfers, and
while they may seem old-fashioned, so is the door key that most of
us use to get into our homes.
The TTC
Metropass relies on a very simple “swipe” technology, a feature only
used at automated turnstiles. A new fare card, if it resembles the
most recent versions used in other world cities, would likely be “contactless.”
The rider might not even take the card out of their wallet or purse,
but instead pass in front of a special fare machine that deducts a
specific amount from the card or the rider’s account.
The pace of
technological invention is now so fast that it’s hard to predict
exactly how the card would work, or even if it must be a card at
all. It will be a challenge to foresee all the possible uses -- and
potential drawbacks -- of this payment revolution. A lot of
decisions must be made before the future system faces its first
public trials in early 2007. The TTC has a lot to gain -- or lose --
in this endeavour, and its riders should be consulted even in these
early stages.
The City of
Toronto, while a reluctant partner in the transit card project so
far, has at the same time been thinking hard about technology. The
“e-City” committee of Toronto’s municipal council may help connect
with the locally-based private firms that are right now making rapid
advances in banking and payment technology. A subcommittee of the
TTC has been set up to tackle the issue, and make sure the smart
card works for riders. As for me, I’d like to know more about
switching from tickets and transfers. Will it slow down boarding?
Can we keep unlimited-use passes? What else will I be able to buy
with this card? Do our transit agencies have the needed expertise to
manage such a complicated changeover? And lastly, how will the huge
cost be justified?