Launch of METRO's stored-value card system delayed again
Yesterday, the Chronicle's Rad Sallee reported that the date for METRO's launch of its much delayed stored-value card system has slipped once again (although METRO spins the slippage more positively):
To work out the expected bugs and soften the shock to transit riders, Metro says it will phase in its new fare structure and "Q Card" payment system over several months and hopes to complete the changeover this summer.
"We're planning a rolling start rather than dumping an entire new system on patrons at once," said Metropolitan Transit Authority spokeswoman Raequel Roberts.
"It's just such a massive thing that to start Feb. 4 (the previously announced date) and expect everybody to be on board would have been too overwhelming," she said. "We don't want people getting on the bus and having all kinds of problems."
Let's hope the Q Card rollout at least goes more smoothly than Frank Wilson's E-Z Pass "procurement disaster" in New Jersey. So far, the record is not good.
METRO does deserve credit for recruiting testers for the new cards and fares:
Metro has recruited about 600 riders from all parts of the transit system — including local bus, Park & Ride bus, MetroRail and MetroLift — as part of an eventual sample of 1,000 who will use the new cards and report any glitches.
This cross-section of riders, dubbed "Q Boosters," are being issued Q Cards with $10 of stored value on them and will receive partial refunds for charging the cards up again when that runs out, Smalley said.
Oistad said these riders will use the new system and fill out forms about their experiences.
Among other things, they'll be surveyed about use of the card readers on buses, error codes they may observe in the reader window, whether they were able to transfer within a route, and when and where they rode.
The group also will test new fares, Smalley said. "If you're a student, for instance, the fare will go up from 25 cents to 50 cents, and we're testing to make sure the card reads 50 cents."
All Q Boosters should be on the job by Feb. 4 and will continue to report during the phase-in.
They should have recruited Laurence Simon, who already documents his experiences with METRO.
METRO blogger Mary Sit was busy today writing about the rubber sidewalks (that really have nothing to do with METRO) that Tory Gattis blogged about last October, but promises some comment on Sallee's Monday reporting on Wednesday. Hey, if the launch of the stored-value card system can't be timely, why should the blog spinning of the same?
UPDATE (01-17-2007): It's another late-afternoon blog post over at Sit and Spin, which probably means it took the PR folks most of the day to turn the Q-Card press release into this blog post.
BLOGVERSATION: TBIFOC.
BACKGROUND: METRO still waiting for working "Smart Card" system, METRO stops paying smart card developer, METRO's "smart card" saga rolls on, ACS gets contract to develop Metro's "smart card" system, METRO's new smart card system appears to be working, METRO advises rider to board bus that doesn't exist.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/16/07 11:04 PM | Print |
Previous Entry | Home | Next Entry
ADVERTISING
DISCLAIMER
All content © 2004-09, blogHOUSTON and the respective authors.
blogHOUSTON.net is powered by Nucleus.
Site design and Nucleus customization are by Kevin Whited.