MetroCard

Today I offer part three of a series on the Future of the Metro Card and smart card technologies.  In case you missed them: Part 1 and Part 2.   In order to incorporate a lot of the comments we have received, I have decided to split part three into two parts. Expect an additional Part 4 tomorrow — a proposed Smart Card for NYC.

Part 3 – Smart Card Progress in NYC

As we reported on Monday, Elliot Sander has passed the baton to Jay Walder, Head Wizard of the OysterCard, to lead the MTA into smart-card future.  Walder may not be alone — just this morning, Bloomberg called for an MTA technology czar, to keep NYC on the cutting edge in transit technology (which it most certainly is not).  Based on the record of his 2001 promises, we should be skeptical this time around — still it’s exciting to see Bloomberg linking his own political success to the future of transit. And in my opinion, a  dedicated technology czar could be great news for incredibly delayed projects like Computer-Based Train Control, GPS for buses,  and under-ground cellphone service.

As many of you commented on Monday and Tuesday, both the MTA and the Port Authority are no strangers to smart cards.  The developments in smart card technology among all agencies, however,  have been fragmented, slow, and confusing. Below, I attempt to summarize what each agency has done and synthesize where I believe they are actually headed.

Past Progress

The MTA first launched a contact-less payment system in a pilot on the Lexington Avenue Line in 2006. The project was in partnership with MasterCard, utilizing their PayPass technology — a fancy credit card version of an RFID-enabled smart card, usually in the form of a fob. Early reports were successful, leading to an extension in 2007. Participating credit cards even allowed pay-pass users to use their cellphone as the pass. Although the pilot remains active, the MTA has been fairly mum about the project.

The PortAuthority launched their own smart card, the SmartLink, in 2006. Although riders initally preferred the MetroCard, according to recent reports the SmartLink is now the most popular way to pay on PATH. The SmartLink has many of the benefits of a modern smart card. It is a contact-less system, ensuring speed, and its money value can be controlled online. Its usefulness is limited, of course, by its scope — it has no interoperability with any other system, not even the PA’s own AirTrain systems.

Recent Progress

Perhaps because the PortAuthority recognized the  SmartLink’s un-tapped potential (yes, that’s a pun), leaders decided in 2008 to pilot (what I think is) a SmartLink expansion. In February 2008, the Port Authority announced a pilot with NJT “to develop and test a ‘tap’ payment card  at all 13 PATH train stations and on two connecting NJ TRANSIT bus routes”.  Like the MTA, NJ Transit and the Port Authority chose MasterCard to design and build the system. Although the pilot was expected to “lauch in early 2009“, I have heard nothing about it, and  its relationship to the existing SmartLink program remains unclear.  Unless one of you can share new information, I can only presume that this pilot is being held up in some long-term development process (aka transit purgatory).

Miraculously, however, the MTA may be able to shed some light. As recently as July 2009, Steve Frazzini, chief fare-payment officer at New York City Transit, told the Philadelphia Daily News (thanks to reader, Scott E for the the correction) that the MTA “will demonstrate a second phase [of the Lexigton Avenue pilot] at year’s end .” According to the same Philly article, Frazzine said that the expanded MTA pilot “will include 275 buses and will link to a pilot with the Port Authority of NY/NJ, PATH and New Jersey Transit.” In other words, the MTA is in fact working with the Port Authority and NJT on a smart card pilot.

Conclusion
The respective agencies are lacking transparency and the media has failed to properly investigate their plans. There has been no press release. There has been no coverage by a NYC-based media outlet. Yet right under our noses, the MTA, NJT, and the Port Authority are (supposedly) in the process of piloting a multi-agency smart card. (Finding out about it in the Philadelphia Daily News is but salt in the wound.)

But since this blog was inspired by the Second Avenue Subway, let’s just say, “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

Stay tuned tomorrow for Part 4 – Smart Card Proposal for NYC. If anyone has any additional sources of information about anything above, please pass it along. Once again, thank you for all of your excellent comments!

Today, I continue the four-part series on the Future of the MetroCard. Yesterday, in Part 1, I outlined the benefits of smart cards. Today in Part 2, we focus on the deficiencies of the current MetroCard. Part 3, available here, summarizes the current plans for a smart card in NYC; and Part 4 proposes a new smart card for NYC.

Thank you all for yesterday’s excellent comments — please, keep them coming!

Part 2 – MetroCard FAIL

As reported yesterday, the MetroCard is at the beginning of what will undoubtedly be a very long, drawn out death.  If the MTA follows its usual schedule, we’ll see a MetroCard replacement probably sometime around 2050. But the MetroCard is young; subway tokens had been around for 50 years before the MetroCard killed them for good in 2003.

Despite its youth, the MetroCard is now obsolete.  If our goal is to expand our transit systems and increase ridership, then the MetroCard must be replaced. Here’s why:

1. The MetroCard is Slow.
A flimsy plastic card with a magnetic strip that gets damaged in one’s own packet is not efficient, reliable technology.  Even the best of us get slipped up: “Please swipe again.” “Swipe card again at this turnstile.” “Too fast. Swipe again.” “Insufficient Fare.” Or, the dreaded, “See agent.”  Then throw in a few thousand tourists (who are either used to smart-cards [thanks, Europe & Asia] or have never seen a subway before [thanks, middle-America]) and suddenly the turnstile is a nightmare.

Unlike the MetroCard, smart cards stay right in your wallet or handbag. In London, a whole business has been formed around OysterCard covers called OysterShells. And in Boston it’s not unusual to see a man lift his right hip up just far enough at the gate so the reader can scan the card in his pocket. Once you experience this magic, it’s hard to go back to the cumbersome swipe.

2. No MetroCards Allowed.
Although the New York Metropolitan region has the greatest transit use in the country, we suffer from an incredibly inefficient, decentralized transportation network.  Instead of one public agency, we have at least three (MTA, NJT, Port Authority), in addition to numerous private bus, ferry, and jitney companies.  The residents of NJ and CT  experience this most acutely, crossing state lines every day from one transit eco-system to another.

Right now, the MetroCard has the potential to bridge these separate systems, but instead continues to divide them. Besides MTA’s city sevices (and LI Bus), the MetroCard is only valid for the PATH and the Bee-Line Bus System in Westchester. Yet the PATH proves that riders would prefer one fare system; the majority of PATH riders use the MetroCard.

Despite what commuters would prefer, the MetroCard’s footprint remains small:

A system-wide smart card would dramatically transform New Yorkers’ perceptions of inter-modal transportation. Right now, MetroNorth stations in the Bronx and LIRR stations in Brooklyn and Queens are woefully under-utilized by MTA and its riders. Even Michael Bloomberg hopes to expand commuter rail service at these stations (thanks to reader, Kai, for the link).  If the MetroCard were introduced for these services, they would be immediately considered on par with the subway and the bus,  encouraging residents to use these stations within the urban core.

Of course, this is but one example — the implications for regional transportation are vast. Stamford to Newark; Jersey City to Brooklyn; Staten Island to Manhattan —  multiple modes, multiple agencies, one fare card.

3. MetroCard… more like StupidCard!
Sure, magnetic strips can store information, but the beauty of a SmartCard is its flexible, ever-expanding functionality. In Hong Kong, the Octopus smart card is used everywhere from the subway to parking meters, from 7-11 to Starbucks.  The technology of an RFID-chip embedded into the smart card allows for lots of information in one card.

Right now, Unlimited MetroCards don’t work on the PATH system.  Instead, you need a separate Pay-Per-Ride MetroCard.  This is redundant and wasteful — one smart card could do both. Similarly, the MTA creates separate MetroCards for each type of rider: student, senior citizen, disabled, etc.. Instead, one kind of smart card can be issued to everyone and customized, via programming, to reflect their status and meet their commuting needs.

Conclusion
In short, the MetroCard fails to provide the benefits of modern smart card technology. Not only is it (relatively) ancient and slow, the MetroCard fails to encourage inter-modal, inter-agency transportation use.  My analysis above is quick-and-dirty and largely anecdotal.  Please share your own thoughts on the MetroCard — where it fails, where it succeeds, and whether or not you think it should be replaced.

Spotted on 54th Street: A better use of the MetroCard?

This morning, I am starting a three-part series on the Future of the  MetroCard and smart card technology. Part 1 will outline the benefits of modern smart card technology; Part 2 will highlight the deficiencies of the current MetroCard system; ; and Part 3 will summarize the MTA’s current and future smart-card plans.

Part 1 – Why Smart Card?

During his final days as MTA Chief (and sacrificial-lamb of the NY State Senate), Elliot Sander announced informal plans for the MTA’s future replacement of the Metro Card. Described by the Post, rather ironically, as “Ez-Pass for the subway”, the future fare system would use tap-and-go Smart Card technology, increasingly the de-facto fare collection system for modern cities. The announcement was bittersweet for Sander, trumpeting a project he has prepped himself but will certainly outlive him at the MTA.

Indeed, in-coming MTA Chairman, Jay Walder, is famous for his own smart-card project, the wildly popular OysterCard in London. In 2006, as a consultant for McKinsey&Co., Walder helped prepare a report for the MTA that concluded that SmartCard technology could be successfully for the NYC market.  If SmartCard technology is going to happen in NYC — and I think it should — Walder is definitely the man for the job.

To see what the future might have in store for NYC, highlighted below are three smart card systems from around the world,  London, Hong Kong, and Boston:

It’s clear from the chart that Hong Kong’s OctopusCard is the winner in sheer functionality. On a recent vacation, I witnessed the Octopus Card first hand. In addition to the city’s countless private and quasi-public transit systems, the Octopus Card is accepted at convenience stores, Starbucks, McDonalds, and vending machines, just to name a few. In 2003, the city even converted all of its Parking Meters to accept Octopus and taxis are apparently on the way.

As I see it, there are 4 Key Benefits to smart card technology:

1. Speed. Smart cards dramatically reduce the time required for passengers to enter and exit the system.  This can be felt acutely in Boston, where buses still accept change in addition to the CharlieCard.  The collective groan when Grandmother Pebbles pulls out her change purse is palpable.

2. Regional Integration. If our goal is to increase the use of public transportation, it is imperative to remove any barriers that might impede a potential transit rider. In Hong Kong, the transporation system was developed (and is currently run) by various public and private companies, many of which have distinct geographic emphases. The SmartCard links the regional components of the system, removing any barriers for the rider between each agency. In fact, in Hong Kong, most riders fail to notice the different transit operators, since they all accept the same fare system.

3. Inter-modal Integration. In a similar way, a smart card removes barriers between different modes of transportation.  A transit rider in London can use the OysterCard for the National Railway, the Tube, double-decker buses, and more. The result is a wider conception of transportation opportunities. Riders switch modes without regard to payment method.

4. Flexible pricing strategies. Unlike a token, which holds a pre-determined value, or a paper ticket, which has a value that must be set in advance, smart cards are fully dynamic. For example, a subway ride in London can start at $2.60, but rises to as high as $20 depending upon the length of the trip and time of the day.  Dynamic payment, however, does NOT have to mean Pay-as-you-go only. As Boston and London demonstrate, unlimited-ride passes are perfectly compatible with smart card technology.  In one smart card you can store your monthly pass — good for the subway you take everyday — in addition to a stored value — which you use for the ferry/train/tram/taxi you use occasionally.  The key point is that smart cards provide a transit operator with multiple options, rather than boxing them into one pricing strategy. As a result, more than one transit operator can implement the card without forgoing their individual fare structure.

Conclusion:
Now, you could argue that the Metro Card has the potential to provide all four of the benefits described above. (Part 2, tomorrow, will provide an analysis of the Metro Card and its deficiencies.)  What is important to understand is that what makes a smart card successful is the scope of its implementation. A Smart Card allows for fare integration across all modes and systems, thereby encouraging greater use of the system.  However, if the smart card is not implemented across the majority of systems and modes — which the Metro Card most certainly is not — then it will fail to provide the benefits above.

As the MTA gears up to raise fares, two stories about straphangers’ attempts at outsmarting the swipe have made the news this week.

First up is a tale of forgery. Three and a half years ago, police arrested Jonathan Mattocks after watching him pick up discarded MetroCards, bend them and swipe on through. A past transit-offender, Mattocks was convicted of a felony and sentenced to jail time. That’s where his appeal comes in. Per Sewell Chan:

On appeal, his defense lawyers made a novel argument. They conceded that Mr. Mattocks broke the law, but said that he should have been charged with a misdemeanor, unauthorized sale of transportation services, rather than forgery.

Bending a MetroCard does not make it “falsely altered” — as the law defines forgery — “because the damage does not create value on a worthless card, it merely prevents the turnstile computer from determining that the card has no value,” the defense lawyers maintained, according to a summary of their arguments in a court ruling issued on Thursday.

In that ruling, the Court of Appeals, New York’s highest court, rejected that logic and upheld Mr. Mattocks’s conviction for forgery.

Amusingly enough, Chan also notes that the decision contains detailed instructions in how to perpetuate a MetroCard forgery. “The judge,” he writes, “devoted her first section to explaining the coding of the cards, how they are read, and how, in essence, to foil the system.” That little tidbit of information certainly won’t help the MTA combat what they say are over 250,000 annual instances of MetroCard fraud.

Mattock, by the way, had already served his two-year prison sentence while awaiting the outcome of his appeal.

In other fare-jumping news, two Daily News reporters stationed themselves near an emergency exit and counted the number of fare-jumpers entering through what should be a locked exit. At two stations, the reporters watched numerous straphangers enter through the open doors .When the reporters confronted the station clerks about the issue, the clerk quickly alarmed the door and alleged it had been armed the entire time.

One fare-beater even had the audacity to defend his actions: “Since when is walking through an open door breaking the law? If that clerk doesn’t care enough to close the door, why shouldn’t I go through?”

I’m a devotee of the 30-day Unlimited Ride MetroCard. I take so many trips around the city that the $81 card basically costs me just over $1.00 a ride. But the 30-day card also leads to some of the more annoying subway moments around.

Picture this: It’s early in the morning, and your subway stop is really crowded. You hear — and see — the train you want pulling in, and you rush to swipe your 30-day card. You step forward…and slam into the turnstile bar. “Insufficient Fare” flashes the LCD display. Your time has expired, and while you try to keep track of when the 30 days are up, no one really marks it on your calendar.

Dejected, you head to the MetroCard Vending Machine and fill up your card. As you trudge down to the platform, it’s too late. That train you wanted was long gone, and you’ll just have to wait for the next one.

But no longer! This subway frustration has been eliminated. The MTA’s EasyPayXPress program — and auto-bill for your MetroCard — now features an unlimited card program. So far, more than 16,000 pay-per-ride users take advantage of the program, and with the debut of unlimited card service, more should do so.

“The addition of an Unlimited card option is the natural next step for the EasyPayXpress Program,” NYC Transit’s VP of Corporate Communications Paul Fleuranges said. “We expect that Unlimited MetroCard users will, as we’ve seen with our Pay-Per-Ride population, appreciate the fact that they never have to worry about their card running out of rides or standing on an MVM line with their credit card or cash to buy a new one.”

Here’s how it works: Straphangers can sign up here for an account. Submit your credit card info, and in a few days, you’ll receive a MetroCard — good for two years — in the mail. The program automatically bills the credit card every 30 days, and the MetroCard will not expire until the 24-month term is up. In effect, it’s a two-year unlimited ride card.

The renewal options are designed for the user as well. It’s easy to switch from an unlimited ride account to a pay-per-ride card. So if you’re going away for a long vacation, you won’t burn the money on an unused unlimited-ride card.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, I love this program. What’s not to like? It eliminates a key source of underground frustration, and it’s been a long time coming. So check it out.

Last November, as the MTA started talking about a fare hike, I decided to see just how much I, a moderately heavy user of the subways, pay per ride. Thus was born the MetroCard Challenge.

For a month, I charted my swipes, and in the end, I found that I got a pretty good deal on the subway. I used my $76 30-day Unlimited Ride Card 74 times in one month for an average cost-per-ride of $1.03. That’s a steal.

Five days ago on Monday, with the MTA’s financial woes coming to the forefront, I bought an $81 30-day Unlimited Ride Card, and I plan to host the challenge again. So far in a little less than five days of usage, I’ve used the card 13 times for a cost-per-ride of $6.23. It’s dropping quickly.

To set the stage a little bit, I’m a New Yorker and a student. My transportation to Thanksgiving dinner involves talking the 2 or 3 from Grand Army Plaza, switching to the 4 at Nevins and disembarking on the Upper East Side. During the week, I’m a commuter student. So much like the 9-to-5 crowd, I take the subway to and from work — or in my case, school. With finals coming up, my social life will be a bit curtailed. Perhaps, this month is ideal as I’ll be approximating someone who works.

So let’s see how things end up. I know I’ll be paying well less than the best fare, and I’ll be tracking my expenditures in the side bar. Just how low my fare will be remains to be seen.

Update: I’m going to make this interactive this year. I’ve shared a spreadsheet on Google Docs for the world to use (until it gets vandalized). Add your own line and keep track of your MetroCard use throughout a month. Just remember to update it regularly or semi-regularly to watch your own cost-per-ride drop. For now, the cost-per-ride column will automatically update when you fill out the other fields.