Don't Back Down

Not long ago, I asked how the Lynx Blue Line was doing. According to the Charlotte Observer, they had 12,000 riders. It turns out that the figure is, in fact, closer to 12,000 riders per day, which is an important distinction to make. After all, if you handle the same number in a day as in a month, you have a whole lot less work to do, right?

Unfortunately, it seems that the plans to actually handle those riders went somewhat awry. As I have mentioned previously, putting the bill collector way down on the bottom of the front means that a lot of people just can't find it. I'm sure that they will get used to it eventually, but come on - they shouldn't have to. It should be right there where they can see it, not where they have to hunt for it so long that they give up in frustration and just don't pay. The issue that you already have with light rail is that there are no turnstiles preventing people from getting on. Allowing them to use the Ticket Vending Machines as an excuse just means that many more people will skip paying.

Really, Officer, It was the Machine

In fact, the initial free ride period was extended because it was so bad. While there are ticket inspectors on trains (we saw one during our family night out), they are letting more and more people get by without a fine because the TVMs break down so often. A recent report by the Observer mentioned that, even though some 12,000 daily riders have been counted, the revenue for the last month amounted to $214,000 - which breaks down to daily ridership of just 5,300 daily rides (5310, if you're looking at 31 days).

Of course, you can't include the fact that some bus-to-train transfers won't be included in the count, and you'll also get some monthly riders (who can't buy their passes at the TVM) will be on board and they won't be purchasing passes anywhere on the line, because they can't. Like credit cards, it's not currently an option - they have to go elsewhere to get the pass. There are also bound to be seniors and kids on the trains. But still, revenue of less than 50% should be alarming. If there are 12,000 daily riders, it should have brought in revenue of $483,600. What gives?

First off, there's no telling what CATS is reporting. When they predicted 9,100 daily rides, it was weekday rides. Now that they are reporting more than 12,000, is it weekday rides or every day? No idea, but to get to 5,300, you have to use 31 days, which makes every day rides. You also have to include transfers, passes, seniors and youth, so there is certainly some leeway. But $214,000 is a long, long way from $483,600, that's for sure. It's only 44%. That's just pathetic.

Get the Machines Running

The first problem is the machines. They don't work. Though I've only ridden twice, and once was for free on opening weekend, I had no problems with the machines - even after a hockey game. To be fair, the hockey attendance surely isn't anything like a football game or even a basketball game. But it is a crowd on the platform, and we had no problem. But there are plenty of problems being reported, and it definitely seems that the line isn't ready.

The second problem is the machines. Even if they are running, you can't buy a round-trip ticket. We had out kids out late (not a school night, but still), and it would have been nice to just get back on board, and not have to mess with getting another ticket. You can't buy a monthly pass from the TVM, you have to go get one somewhere else. But as of now, you can't pay with a credit card, and many times you can't pay at all. That's just ridiculous. Get the machines up and running, and make it easy for people to pay.

How Does This Affect You?

When the transit tax was first passed, way back in 1998, everyone that that it was a good idea to pay an extra half-cent to plan for the future. But when everyone then realized that the cost projections didn't include things like the potential for cost increases because no one figured that things got more expensive the longer it took to build things, the costs went up. Citizens became unhappy, and the tax went back to vote. It passed - in fact, with a wider margin than it had the first time.

But it shows that no one bothered to think ahead. You can see this on any number of web sites out there, who don't think about things like changing software or changing hosts, and before you know it, links break and pages become unavailable. What should be easy to do no longer becomes easy. It's just a nightmare, waiting for the right moment to surface. While different in scope, it is really not that much different in practice - it all can be prevented with a bit of planning ahead, so put the time in up front so that you don't have to worry about it down the road.