Guest Post: Reducing Waiting in Mass Transit

Prof. Howard Weiss shares his insights with our readers monthly.

A recent article in the Philadelphia Inquirer noted that SEPTA, the transit authority for Philadelphia and its suburbs, “is shopping for a contractor to build a new fare collection system with more convenient payment options.”

Work on the current SEPTA fare system began in 2011, and like many projects, the system was delivered two years late in 2016 and at nearly double its original $122 million budget. While the fare system is only 7 years old, it was almost obsolete when it was delivered because riders could not purchase their tickets or fare cards from home as they can for transit systems in several cities. Of course, purchasing at home or by app saves time when traveling by not having to wait in line at a kiosk to buy a ticket or put money on a fare card. It also reduces the probability of missing a train because you are stuck in line.

Several cities go a step further to improve transit times. You do not even need to go through a turnstile or wait for a bus driver to check your ticket. These cities use an honor system that relies on riders to purchase their tickets. This reduces boarding times and lines for busses and waiting times on the subways. Also, passengers can board busses using any door not just the front door which reduces the boarding time. There are controllers who may check tickets and if the rider does not have one the rider is fined – for example, $60 in Hamburg, Germany, $150 in Copenhagen, or $250 in Los Angeles.

Roads, Bridges and Tunnels
Thirty-five states have toll roads, bridges or tunnels. Many of these have been allowing drivers to use the web to upload money to their passes since their inception. In addition, some toll areas have express lanes for EZ pass drivers making collection times faster than driving through a toll booth. Some roadways have implemented toll by plate where rather than staffing a toll booth a picture is taken of a license plate and a bill is sent to the driver by mail if the car did not have a transponder for the system.

Roughly half of the toll collection locations in the U.S. collect tolls in only one direction rather than both directions. Obviously, this reduces waiting time in the toll-less direction.

Classroom discussion questions:
1. What is the downside to the toll collection agency using one-way tolling?

2. What are the disadvantages of operating a toll by plate system?