Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate Metro because the add-fare machines don't take credit cards or $20s. If you get stuck, their advice is to get change from another passenger. No real business would operate this way.

If you're using a Smart Trip card it will let you ride on a deficit and always lets you exit the system. The farecard machines let you use credit cards and $20 bills; only the Exit Fare doesn't. If you're using a paper fare card you don't ride Metro much anyway so what are you complaining about? Get a Smart Trip card.

There are reasons to use the paper cards. Again, no real business would offer paper and then limit you in this way.

Such as?

The more relevant point is that a lot of people want to be able to use the paper cards without being trapped by a weirdly limited exitfare machine. If lots of consumers want to use it, does it matter why? To a real business, no.

I've rode metro daily for 20 years and I've used exitfare maybe once. I find it hard to believe that a lot of people have this concern. If you think it's a great idea to rely on having a lot of low value cards lying around, then go ahead but that doesn't mean if metro accomodate your desires then it must be a terrible system.

Precisely my point. It's not a problem for people who ride daily. But a lot of people ride once a week. We're not like you but there are a good number of us.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate Metro because the add-fare machines don't take credit cards or $20s. If you get stuck, their advice is to get change from another passenger. No real business would operate this way.

If you're using a Smart Trip card it will let you ride on a deficit and always lets you exit the system. The farecard machines let you use credit cards and $20 bills; only the Exit Fare doesn't. If you're using a paper fare card you don't ride Metro much anyway so what are you complaining about? Get a Smart Trip card.

There are reasons to use the paper cards. Again, no real business would offer paper and then limit you in this way.

Such as?

The more relevant point is that a lot of people want to be able to use the paper cards without being trapped by a weirdly limited exitfare machine. If lots of consumers want to use it, does it matter why? To a real business, no.

I've rode metro daily for 20 years and I've used exitfare maybe once. I find it hard to believe that a lot of people have this concern. If you think it's a great idea to rely on having a lot of low value cards lying around, then go ahead but that doesn't mean if metro accomodate your desires then it must be a terrible system.

Anonymous wrote:The metro system in DC is a shame to this country!

The DC Metro system is one of the least shameful things about this country. It doesn't bother the rest of the U.S. at all. You have options 1) drive 2) rally for funding 3) get a new job.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate Metro because the add-fare machines don't take credit cards or $20s. If you get stuck, their advice is to get change from another passenger. No real business would operate this way.

If you're using a Smart Trip card it will let you ride on a deficit and always lets you exit the system. The farecard machines let you use credit cards and $20 bills; only the Exit Fare doesn't. If you're using a paper fare card you don't ride Metro much anyway so what are you complaining about? Get a Smart Trip card.

There are reasons to use the paper cards. Again, no real business would offer paper and then limit you in this way.

Such as?

The more relevant point is that a lot of people want to be able to use the paper cards without being trapped by a weirdly limited exitfare machine. If lots of consumers want to use it, does it matter why? To a real business, no.

Hmm, I know it is not always the best, but I'd take someone else driving over me sitting in traffic any day. I actually miss being able to read my paper in the morning and evening now that my commute HAS to involve a car since I'm in a "can't get there from here by public transport" commute situation now.

I also miss when I barely paid any money in gas and had a decent portion of my daily commuting costs paid for by my employer.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate Metro because the add-fare machines don't take credit cards or $20s. If you get stuck, their advice is to get change from another passenger. No real business would operate this way.

If you're using a Smart Trip card it will let you ride on a deficit and always lets you exit the system. The farecard machines let you use credit cards and $20 bills; only the Exit Fare doesn't. If you're using a paper fare card you don't ride Metro much anyway so what are you complaining about? Get a Smart Trip card.

There are reasons to use the paper cards. Again, no real business would offer paper and then limit you in this way.

Such as?

Such as you can keep them in places where a hard card doesn't work and you can have multiple ones with small values and it doesn't matter if you lose them.

Metrocheck programs through employers pay you in paper cards. You can add them to Smart Trips if you want to but it works better for me to have a $5 card stashed in lots of different pockets. I don't always know when I'm going to chose to take Metro over another option.

So one time I took the Metro to meet a guy I was dating. I broke up with him because: we were supposed to meet at a Metro stop. Should have taken 20 minutes. Took 1 1/2 hours. His sarcastic and loud greeting: are you okay? are you hurt? No a$$hole, you grew up here and forgot to tell me how inefficient the Metro was! Buh bye.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate Metro because the add-fare machines don't take credit cards or $20s. If you get stuck, their advice is to get change from another passenger. No real business would operate this way.

If you're using a Smart Trip card it will let you ride on a deficit and always lets you exit the system. The farecard machines let you use credit cards and $20 bills; only the Exit Fare doesn't. If you're using a paper fare card you don't ride Metro much anyway so what are you complaining about? Get a Smart Trip card.

There are reasons to use the paper cards. Again, no real business would offer paper and then limit you in this way.

Such as?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate Metro because the add-fare machines don't take credit cards or $20s. If you get stuck, their advice is to get change from another passenger. No real business would operate this way.

If you're using a Smart Trip card it will let you ride on a deficit and always lets you exit the system. The farecard machines let you use credit cards and $20 bills; only the Exit Fare doesn't. If you're using a paper fare card you don't ride Metro much anyway so what are you complaining about? Get a Smart Trip card.

There are reasons to use the paper cards. Again, no real business would offer paper and then limit you in this way.

Anonymous wrote:I hate Metro because the add-fare machines don't take credit cards or $20s. If you get stuck, their advice is to get change from another passenger. No real business would operate this way.

If you're using a Smart Trip card it will let you ride on a deficit and always lets you exit the system. The farecard machines let you use credit cards and $20 bills; only the Exit Fare doesn't. If you're using a paper fare card you don't ride Metro much anyway so what are you complaining about? Get a Smart Trip card.

I hate Metro because the add-fare machines don't take credit cards or $20s. If you get stuck, their advice is to get change from another passenger. No real business would operate this way.

I don't see how a buried train helps or hinders commuters. It just costs more. But it's the same train.

Anonymous wrote:Better than driving.

Agree with this. Plus, while metro has problems, for a city the size of DC it's quite a big system. Yes, London is better, so are a lot of major world capitals - but DC is really a much smaller city by comparison and I feel so lucky I don't have to drive to go to the movies or out to dinner or to work. But yeah, yesterday did suck. So many people have been trying to commit suicide by train - it's quite distressing that so many people want to kill themselves.

Yes, you're right. They should reduce fares and increase efficiency (which often requires money). That'll boost ridership, and soom they'll be rolling in cash. Never mind that increased efficiency = more preventative maintenance, which costs money. And forget that ridership isn't the issue - several of the most popular lines are at or near capacity during rush hour. They should just run more trains. But oops - that's not free, is it? It would be nice if simple solutions always worked. But they don't. (Dear God, I just paraphrased Mitt Romney.)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh please... This is clearly a lack of planning.

In Sao Paulo you can switch trains and go from one side to the suburbs to the other for just one flat rate. And you can transfer to bus and from bus for free. And when we say suburbs it's like going from Southern MD to Frederick or Leesburg for one flat fare.

The price of the fare is close to half of what costs here in DC area.

That's not planning. That's the size of the subsidy.

Look at the construction around Tysons... Do you think that's good planning? LOL

Once again, the initial plan was to bury the track. That proposal was quickly dinged because - wait for it - it cost too much.

If it was cheaper and more efficient more people would ride and they could actually make profit! They lack someone with brains to administer that mess.