ConnectCard: First Look at the new PAT Smartcards (Pittsburgh, Edgewood: hotel, buy)

[expdxer]

As it is now you can use the card for your first ride but if you need to transfer you have to pay the driver with cash for your transfer? That doesn't make sense. In DC and Seattle (where I use a fare card), the transfers are programmed into the system, which I agree should be a priority for the Port Authority. I have to say it is fun when I arrive at the Seattle airport after not being there for 8 months and tap my "Orca" card for the light rail, and it still has money in it from my last trip.

[Blackbeauty212]

Back home for the holidays this week.....So I decided to take this time to pick up a Connect Card so I can finally say good bye to digging for change.

How PAT is Failing with the Connect Card!

- Transfers are still Paper....Transfers need to be set on the card directly

- Passes are still by Calendar Week/Month......Why in the hell aren't they on a 7 day and 30 day cycle from the time you first "Tap"...PAT is cheating the public now, because the functionality is there to give people a full 7/30 days worth of rides which they pay for...If I first "Tap" my pass on Tuesday I should be able to ride until 12AM Monday/Tuesday night...No my pass still ends on Saturday and I lose 2 days but still pay 25$ for a Weekly Pass! THIS MAKES NO SENSE and is Cheating.

I feel like PAT is really Pissing away the opportunity to get more people attracted to the Connect Card...I Myself will now only load Cash onto the card, since unless you buy your pass before the week or on Sunday your cheated out of however many days you miss...

With Paper passes the functionality wasn't there to allow rolling-day passes, again now the functionality is there they need to be fair about this. The whole Fare Structure at PAT needs to be revamped its too outdated like much of everything at PAT, I hope its coming.

[pman]

You cant get ride of paper transfers untils fully rolled out.

[Moby Hick]

Originally Posted by Blackbeauty212

With Paper passes the functionality wasn't there to allow rolling-day passes, again now the functionality is there they need to be fair about this.

That's really not a question of fairness or not so long as they are open about what you are getting. The 30 day cycle just going to be confusing for the users. Nobody will be able to keep track of that while "January" is perfectly clear to most people. I don't know about the 7 day pass, but it seems less clear than a calendar week.

[Blackbeauty212]

Why do you need to keep track when the farebox tells you when your pass runs out.....Just pay attention to it, that's not hard to do.

It is about fairness, the functionality is there to provide people with the full set of days they pay for, regardless of when they first Tap. If I pay 25$ for a weekly pass I expect a Full 7 days regardless of when I first "Tap"... this is how every other Modern day transit agency with RFID cards have the pass structure..

Give the people what they pay for....

[Moby Hick]

Originally Posted by Blackbeauty212

If I pay 25$ for a weekly pass I expect a Full 7 days regardless of when I first "Tap"...

PAT says "Weekly passes are valid from 12:01 a.m. Sunday through the following Saturday's end of service." I have no idea why they should feel the need to change because you expect something different.

You are asking them to change their fare structure, not seeking fairness. I assume that you want the new fair structure because it would save you money, but if it saved enough people money, the new "7-Day Pass" would cost more than the currently weekly pass.

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by Blackbeauty212

Transfers are still Paper....Transfers need to be set on the card directly

In Houston, they use the Q-card. Transfers are done on the card only. Sucks if you are a visitor with cash because you'd have to pay again. And while Q-cards are not hard to get, they not easy either as you have to go to the Metro office or some retail outlets but no vending machines. Atlanta does a much better job making their Breeze cards available at their rail stations either at a window or vending machine.

Passes are still by Calendar Week/Month......Why in the hell aren't they on a 7 day and 30 day cycle from the time you first "Tap"...PAT is cheating the public now, because the functionality is there to give people a full 7/30 days worth of rides which they pay for...If I first "Tap" my pass on Tuesday I should be able to ride until 12AM Monday/Tuesday night...No my pass still ends on Saturday and I lose 2 days but still pay 25$ for a Weekly Pass! THIS MAKES NO SENSE and is Cheating.

Unfortunately, Houston doesn't have 7-day, 30-day, or any day or month passes. You pay for each trip, although after every 50 rides you get 5 free rides. Atlanta does have 1-4 and 7 day passes, and a 30 day pass, and a calendar month pass.

But the good news for Houston riders is the fare is only $1.25. And students can get a half-fare card. These days, that's a very low fare.

[Blackbeauty212]

Originally Posted by Moby Hick

PAT says "Weekly passes are valid from 12:01 a.m. Sunday through the following Saturday's end of service." I have no idea why they should feel the need to change because you expect something different.

Because they have the functionality now that permits it and its fair....You don't charge someone for full 7 or 30 days and only provide them with 5 or 20 because of when they brought the pass...

Again an argument can be made back in the paper pass days that there was no way to do this effectively with Paper.

No there's no excuse....PAT is cheating people with connect cards that don't buy their passes right at the start of the Month or Week.

Originally Posted by Moby Hick

You are asking them to change their fare structure, not seeking fairness. I assume that you want the new fair structure because it would save you money, but if it saved enough people money, the new "7-Day Pass" would cost more than the currently weekly pass.

Not saving me money but fairly gives me what I paid for....I paid for a Weekly Pass, in a week there are 7 days not 5 4 or 3... 7, and you charge me for 7, so why am I not getting 7?

How would the 7 day pass cost more....A Week = 7 days the Weekly provides 7 days worth of unlimited rides (if I buy it before the start of the week)...All I'm saying is provide a full 7 days regardless of when people purchase their pass, its just fair, perfectly capable, and practical since every other Modern Transit Agency structures passes on their RFID cards like this.

Let me ask, do you even ride Public Transportation and understand how this is suppose to work?

[Moby Hick]

Originally Posted by Blackbeauty212

Let me ask, do you even ride Public Transportation and understand how this is suppose to work?

Do you understand what I'm saying? If PAT provides exactly what it says it will provide you (in terms of days), it can't be cheating you. You aren't buying "7 days" of transit, you are buying 7 specific days of transit. It may or may not be better your way, but it is certainly not cheating.

I'm a regular PAT rider. If your biggest problem with local transit is they haven't switched to a free-floating 7 day pass before they've even had a shakedown of their new fare boxes, you must be the happiest rider they have.

[Blackbeauty212]

Originally Posted by Moby Hick

Do you understand what I'm saying? If PAT provides exactly what it says it will provide you (in terms of days), it can't be cheating you. You aren't buying "7 days" of transit, you are buying 7 specific days of transit. It may or may not be better your way, but it is certainly not cheating.

I'm a regular PAT rider. If your biggest problem with local transit is they haven't switched to a free-floating 7 day pass before they've even had a shakedown of their new fare boxes, you must be the happiest rider they have.

It is cheating....PAT is charging me the same price of 25$ regardless of when you buy the pass....but limiting me on the number of days is can be used....a person that buys it before the weeks starts gets 7 days...person that buys on Tuesday only gets 5, you tell me how that's fair? ITS NOT! A person that buys on Dec 30 gets full 31 days of January to Ride...Person that buys on the 10 only gets 21 but both are still subjected to pay the 80-90$ whatever it cost now...Again how is that fair?

7 specific days are limitation of Paper Transit Fare Instruments.....PAT is no longer subjected to that Limitation with its modern fare technologies, therefore needs to modernize its Fare Structure to make sure people get what they pay for....

If you've ever experienced other Transit Organizations that have had this modern fare technology long before the ConnectCard, you would understand where I'm coming from. Having your pass structure built on a rolling set of day as opposed to calendar months and weeks is much more passenger friendly, fair and flexible not to mention you actually giving people what they paid for. Either that or PAT needs to reduce the price of the Pass as the Week or Months days roll off.

PAT needs to get with program its fare structure is ridiculously antiquated and outdated especially for Modern Fare collection like Connect Card. This is from someone who rode far more modern mass transit system all across the country.

This sort of insluar/stuck in a time wrap way of thinking is what pisses me off the most about Pittsburgh....while its residences are becoming more progressive and forward thinking, Pittsburgh's governance and institutions has this resistance to change or progressively acting. "Oh Well this is the way PAT's always done it, so that how it should remain" and its that type of thinking as to why PAT is clusterf*ck it is now.