All-Door Boarding a Missed Opportunity in NYC

In New York, transit officials are prioritizing collecting every fare over providing faster more efficient transportation, argues David Meyer in a piece for Streetsblog NYC. "Speaking at TransitCenter last night, transportation officials from Boston, San Francisco, London, and Oslo shared how their agencies put the rider experience at the center of fare modernization efforts. They see the possibilities to provide fast, convenient service, and they are seizing them," Meyer reports.

The issue in question is all-door boarding for buses. All-door boarding means that rather than having each passenger slide a fare card into a machine in front of the driver as they board, bus riders could pay before boarding or at stations on the buses at both doors. Then, periodically, fare agents would check whether or not riders had paid using electronic proof-of-payment systems. Advocates of this system, like Meyer, argue that this payment process could potentially save minutes at every crowded bus stops and shave commute times for bus riders during the most busy times. Those who oppose all door boarding argue that the system creates an opportunity for riders to avoid paying.

Meyers finds this argument unconvincing, "New Yorkers could have faster transit, less police harassment, and a more convenient fare system too, if the MTA follows the lead of these agencies and gets out of its own way."