City
TTC Token Machine Shortcoming
The other night I ran in the rain to the unattended, automated Spadina Station subway entrance on the Bloor Line (on Walmer). I'm a ticket user. I don't ride the rocket often enough to justify a Metropass, and every time I buy tokens I seem to lose them or occasionally (and inadvertently, and rather stupidly) spend them as dimes. Go ahead and laugh.
I had $2.35 in coins in my pocket - not enough to buy a token, which is a requirement for me to enter the subway via the revolving metal-finger-gated door apparatus. But I did have a $5 and $50 bill in my wallet.
While it came as no surprise that my $50 bill wouldn't do me much good, I would have never figured that my $5 wouldn't either. What the...? Why?! What does the TTC have against $5 bills?
I ventured back out into the rain to the convenience store across the street, where I broke my fiver. I then was able to use my toonie and loonie to procure a token and $0.25 change.
Wet, and slightly bothered, this got me thinking. Why can't/won't the machines accept $5 bills and return a token and $2.25 in coins? Surely the machines aren't incapable. They take all coins, and the new ten and twenty dollar bills are no problem. No, I don't expect 2 tokens for $5, but I would like to be able to buy a token with perfectly good money! I can talk to the TTC in over 70 languages, but I can't use a $5 bill to buy a token?
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Tom: if they can accept toonies, they can likely spit them out too.
thickslab: what technical reasons?
<p>I could be wrong about the TTC machines, but I've done quite a bit of fare collection work for other agencies (I'm a transportation engineer) so I have some experience with transit payment systems.</p>
This has been a complaint of mine for a decade. Every other transit system in world allows you to pay with any form of currency. Most allow you purchase a debit-like card that can be used across the system. None (to my knowledge) require you to enter unmanned stations with a tiny silver disk that weighs less than a feather and is inevitably lost.
With a small capital investment, the TTC could move to such a system described above and do away with its outdated collector system -- and its attendent legion of overpaid and surly workers -- altogether. But this is what you get when your transit system is run by a committee of city politicians with zero business sense and experience.
Spend a dollar and buy a token holder; most convenience stores in the downtown core have them. They look like plastic 'clips' that hold about 8 tokens--4 per side.<br><br>
Never buy tickets, because they can't be used in automated entrances/turnstiles. Never buy just 1 token, because buying tokens in bulk only costs $2.10 per ride ($8.40/4 = $18.90/9 = $2.10).<br><br>
Thinking ahead will save you both time and money.
At least post on the TTC website where there are stores that allow you to use debit cards and what they sell.
Here's how it should be done:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oyster_card
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrocard
"Never buy tickets, because they can't be used in automated entrances/turnstiles."
I used to think this, but tokens have that problem of being mistaken for dimes, and a token holder doesn't fit in a wallet. Also, token machines are becoming more and more scarce(has anyone else noticed this?). So, I buy tickets, and I have figured out the manned entrances, so I don't have to worry about tokens at all.
And "Getwiththetimes", the point of a transit service is to be convenient. (Yes, I know we live in Toronto, but work with me here) There's only so much planning one can do, if one doesn't realize that they don't have tokens or whatever. ANY option should be readily available to purchase whatever form of fare media is required. That the TTC hasn't realized this is further proof that Mayor Miller's Transit City will probably go down in flames, as many of these Commissioners can't organize their way out of a paper bag.
source: <a href="http://www.bankofcanada.ca/en/banknotes/general/character/2001-04_05.html";>Bank of Canada</a>.
Hmmm. So the token machines are able to read the new $10 (2001) and $20 (2004) but not the $5 (2002)???
Maybe after the $5 is upgraded in November, the token machines will be upgraded?
a year ago or so, these machines accepted 5$ bills but that was gotten rid of for my reasons listed above.
:(
i;ve lost a few 5$ bills in those machines. a number is listed to call and complain. i called. they said they would send someone out to fix the jam, and if my bill was recovered, i would be reiumbursed.
i've never been reiumberesed.
:(
I have a friend who works for a company that tried to sell the TTC a card reader based fare system like NYC, at the time the TTC's engineers correct response was that there's no business case for it here, we don't have the same problems with paper currency and fare abuse that they have in the US because of a) Loonies and twonies b) high levels of pass use c)high levels of voluntary pass compliance. Their response at the time was "for the amount you're asking for a card reader system we can buy (can't remember the exact number, a large number >100) new buses.
The province is probably going to force the TTC to install a card based system soon when they force a GTA wide fare system. When that happens just watch for the whinging about how much better and simpler the old system was. For those that think the MTA metrocard system is so peachy just find yourself at the bus stop in the rain with an empty metrocard and two dollar bills, oops, can't ride the bus, metrocards or coins only, no paper money accepted.
I'm sure the TTC knows that almost everyone passes off the tokens and dimes but they don't care because they have already collected the $$$$. With a metropass you can get access to the subway where there is no operator...you can get on quickly if everyone is in line @ the booth....with tickets its just a pure hastle, because tickets are probabily the most common used transit form of fare.
Cynical, yes I know.
Unfortuntely since the transit system is managed by some thick headed individuals, you'll see absoltely no improvement in service.
I have more of an issue with the dirty, rude unbathed bus drivers. What is that about?
Did you know that you can't purchase a metropass using your debit card or credit card at every station? I found that out the other day and was shocked.
They want people to take public trasit but they make it a pain in the ass to actually pay for it. ha ha, what a joke.