New York City – Many passengers on a revamped bus route in Upper Manhattan and Bronx will pay their fares before they get on the bus, as part of a new pay-before-boarding pilot program designed to speed up trips.
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Machines set up at stops along the route let commuters pay with a MetroCard or cash. Riders must carry receipts, to be checked at random, or face $60 fines.
Riders can board at the front or back, and there are signal controls that delay lights to allow buses to pass – a plan designed to cut travel time by up to 20%.
But many bus riders were baffled Sunday, “This is not a good system,” said Anna Rivera, 53, of the Bronx, who accidentally wound up paying twice before boarding the Bx12 at Fordham Plaza on the first day of the Select Bus Service.
The new system will get its biggest test during Monday’s morning and evening rush.
Smart! The PATH trains have these systems set up for years now!
That’s the way it is in Europe, for trains and buses. You buy either a monthly pass, or ticket from an outside machine. (The ticket has an expiration date, like any travel till 2 hours later, or 24 hours.
You enter the bus/tram from any door, and there are inspectors doing random checks, and give fines, to people who are travelling without at ticket.
This makes boarding a couple seconds… instead of waiting one by one for every one to pay.
and both doors then can be used for boarding.
Anything to speed up the Bx12 — it is an incredibly busy line and is incredibly slow.