tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18251485.post3604861183998255999..comments2023-10-31T09:35:17.651-07:00Comments on underground science: BART, Translink and MTCGarlynn Woodsonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17400252855809671287noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18251485.post-72373772833163625212009-09-17T23:09:12.713-07:002009-09-17T23:09:12.713-07:00well, it is still in trial, so this is to be expec...well, it is still in trial, so this is to be expected.<br /><br />in the design world, we call it a "wizard of oz" prototype, where you just do the things that will be automated in the future, so that you don't have to invest in getting those things set up and then find that certain things are not working.<br /><br />i have no doubt that in the future, the website will be much more robust and there will be many more in-person places where you can purchase and get help with a translink card.ianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16497311093224486519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18251485.post-64447396484568287652009-09-17T15:43:03.306-07:002009-09-17T15:43:03.306-07:00Using one transit pass on any and all transit in t...Using one transit pass on any and all transit in the Bay Area is great but has any of you actually used TransLink, and more specifically have you ever tried to get a transaction history for your account. It is next to impossible to get this because you need to submit an email request to TransLink and then someone in the backroom is generating the report for you??? You have got to be kidding me; in this day and age with the internet evolved as it has and you can't get something simple like that. I would never use TransLink on BART if I had a choice in the matter. I hope somewhere in that $408m there's actually some money reserved to automate this whole process and users can actually do things like that on demand, in real time.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18251485.post-31180618794553813112009-08-10T00:25:24.532-07:002009-08-10T00:25:24.532-07:00Garlynn: Two things: According to the statistics p...Garlynn: Two things: According to the statistics published in the monthly Executive Director's Report:<br />http://mtc.ca.gov/news/ed_report_archive/op-stats/7-09.pdf<br />there are 30,000 unique users generating about 600,000 rides a month.<br />These numbers are kind of strange because each user would use their TransLink card 20 times a month. It's more likely that 15,000 users are using their card 40 times a month (20 working days, two trips a day), and the other 15,000 users are one time users. Using the $408 million cost figure, that's about $25,000 per user. And these weren't drivers switching to transit, just transit riders using a different form of payment.<br />The second issue is the disposal of the 900,000 TransLink cards originally purchased by MTC that were discontinued. That's over 12,000 pounds of toxic waste (embedded chip makes the plastic not recyclable).<br />Keep up the good work.<br />MarkAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18251485.post-11461387275410048402009-08-05T21:41:28.238-07:002009-08-05T21:41:28.238-07:00OK, so $408 million is the total project cost... I...OK, so $408 million is the total project cost... I guess it has gone up since I originally posted/corrected this post! Hey, if at some point we can just carry a Translink card in our pocket and use it for all of our transit needs in the Bay Area, with no worries or even second thoughts... maybe it will be worth it?Garlynn Woodsonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17400252855809671287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18251485.post-57613413799995926742009-08-05T16:58:37.121-07:002009-08-05T16:58:37.121-07:00MTC has finally "come out" and is now sh...MTC has finally "come out" and is now showing the true cost of the TransLink program in the 2035 RTP (page 103 - $408 million). <br /><br />Now was that so hard?<br /><br />Mark MMMBeggars Operahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06691090996342878169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18251485.post-40089640567626587682009-05-19T00:55:00.000-07:002009-05-19T00:55:00.000-07:00garlynn,
i'd be interested to know more about MTC...garlynn,<br /><br />i'd be interested to know more about MTC's 'facing hard questions' about merging transit agencies together. i come from a design point-of-view and the standardization of the bay area transit rider experience is something i'm definitely interested in / might want to take part in. can you divulge more about any specific plans MTC has?<br /><br />if you have time i'd appreciate your thoughts.<br /><br />thanks!<br /><br />ian<br />zeroL8on @ gmail —ianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16497311093224486519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18251485.post-15660236231598553302009-05-10T23:08:00.000-07:002009-05-10T23:08:00.000-07:00Garlynn, great post and terrific background! You s...Garlynn, great post and terrific background! You say you would like to get this story out in the open; I'm a Bay Area reporter writing a story about the subject who would love to talk with you further, on background if necessary. You can reach me at 925 952 2671.Janis Marahttp://www.contracostatimes.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18251485.post-66594296764138985162009-05-03T14:31:00.000-07:002009-05-03T14:31:00.000-07:00BART got its way: ERG out, Cubic in. Translink now...BART got its way: ERG out, Cubic in. Translink now magically works on BART, implementation in June.<br /><br />Somebody needs to look into the relationship between BART and Cubic. I smell a rat.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18251485.post-38754664896919838002009-04-10T02:04:00.000-07:002009-04-10T02:04:00.000-07:00Jake, thanks for taking the time to read and comme...Jake, thanks for taking the time to read and comment on my blog post! Point taken about amount in the RTP vs. amount spent to date -- I didn't check that source thoroughly enough. I've corrected that figure -- does $88 million sound more accurate for YTD expenditure on Translink? (That sounds a tad low to me, but I can't find a better figure online right now...) My hope is to be able to get this story out in the open, so that maybe things will be able to improve in the future as more light is shed on the topic! Take care...Garlynn Woodsonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17400252855809671287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18251485.post-49509123204680890192009-04-09T07:30:00.000-07:002009-04-09T07:30:00.000-07:00Hi Garlynn: The expenditure to date figure you ide...Hi Garlynn: The expenditure to date figure you identify for TransLink is grossly inaccurate. You cite MTC's system as the source for the information, but the MTC system is reporting the amount included for TransLink in the RTP, not the expenditures to date. The amount included in the RTP enables not only completion of the system on all operators, but also system operations and maintenance for the next 25 years. Otherwise, a good read. Take it easy.Jakenoreply@blogger.com