This is fascinating.
https://www.wired.com/2016/12/ignori...faster-richer/
As with most forward thinking ideas, I doubt we'll ever see it in this country though.
Quote:
“IN OSLO, IT began with a defective gate, the kind of thing that sings “lawsuit!” in America. In the Norwegian capital’s metro system, in 2005, newly installed turnstiles began to trap unsuspecting riders. “If you had a carriage or a baby stroller, you could get stuck,” Christian Fjær, who oversees the local transit authority’s payment operations, said at an event hosted by the research group TransitCenter last month.
So the enterprising Norwegians had an idea: Don’t just ditch the malfunctioning hardware. Ditch the turnstiles and gates altogether, along with the idea of physical barriers that demand payment.
It’s not so radical. By nixing fare gates, public transit agencies emphasize ease of access over making every last rider pay. Europe got into “proof of payment” systems—where wandering personnel request evidence you paid your way—in the 1960s. They made it to American shores, mostly in light rail systems, by the 1990s.
Now, 21st century tech is making it easier than ever to blow up the turnstile. Modernized, cash-free fare payment methods—like reloadable tap-and-go cards, or apps that let riders use smartphones to get tickets, Apple Pay-style—speed up boarding. Passengers don’t have to struggle past fare gates. They can board through any door, instead of pushing through a bus’s front entrance to pay the driver.
The result: Faster vehicles, less crowding, and thus more frequent service, leading (hopefully) to more riders overall. Meanwhile, data collected from systems using modernized proof of payment methods don’t show fare evasion skyrocketing. People, it turns out, mostly follow the rules—especially if they know getting caught in a spot check carries a hefty fine.”
“IN OSLO, IT began with a defective gate, the kind of thing that sings “lawsuit!” in America. In the Norwegian capital’s metro system, in 2005, newly installed turnstiles began to trap unsuspecting riders. “If you had a carriage or a baby stroller, you could get stuck,” Christian Fjær, who oversees the local transit authority’s payment operations, said at an event hosted by the research group TransitCenter last month.
So the enterprising Norwegians had an idea: Don’t just ditch the malfunctioning hardware. Ditch the turnstiles and gates altogether, along with the idea of physical barriers that demand payment.
It’s not so radical. By nixing fare gates, public transit agencies emphasize ease of access over making every last rider pay. Europe got into “proof of payment” systems—where wandering personnel request evidence you paid your way—in the 1960s. They made it to American shores, mostly in light rail systems, by the 1990s.
Now, 21st century tech is making it easier than ever to blow up the turnstile. Modernized, cash-free fare payment methods—like reloadable tap-and-go cards, or apps that let riders use smartphones to get tickets, Apple Pay-style—speed up boarding. Passengers don’t have to struggle past fare gates. They can board through any door, instead of pushing through a bus’s front entrance to pay the driver.
The result: Faster vehicles, less crowding, and thus more frequent service, leading (hopefully) to more riders overall. Meanwhile, data collected from systems using modernized proof of payment methods don’t show fare evasion skyrocketing. People, it turns out, mostly follow the rules—especially if they know getting caught in a spot check carries a hefty fine.”
https://www.wired.com/2016/12/ignori...faster-richer/
As with most forward thinking ideas, I doubt we'll ever see it in this country though.
