I must say I'm concerned about the Q-pass costing me so much more than I've had to pay before.  I am disabled and I usually buy the $52 discounted 365 pass. I have been doing so for about 5 or 6 years. What is going to happen to people like me who have these passes?  I cannot afford to pay $10 a week on busfair.  The way I ride the bus, and with the 2 hour limit on transfers, that'd be my likely out of pocket expense; even at $0.50 a trip.

My mother who has senior 365-day pass renewed her pass on Jan 3rd. She was told by the person at the ridestore that she'd be 'grandfathered over' and she was allowed to purchase a new 365-day discounted pass, which she did.  She was issued a "30 day Temp-G" pass that she was told would be swapped for the Q-pass when it becomes available.  Was this the correct information that she was given or is she going to be simply given a prorated amount of credit on the Q-pass vs it being good until Jan 4, 2008?  She was implied that the passed would be valid for the entire year.   She also doesn't have the money to ride the bus at $0.50 per trip.  It is going to seriously limit her mobiity.

Also, I overheard another person with an 'over 70 lifetime' pass be told that she would be issued a q-pass as well and it was implied it would be at no cost.  Is this true?

My real concern is the fact that these changes in fares have not been completely defined. Or at least I have never seen them.  I ride the park and ride and use a stored fare card, how is this going to change my costs?  This change really stinks as far as I can see and will probably chase more people away from Metro in general.

If the goal is to increase the amount of the fare borne by the rider, instead of increasing fares, why not stop spending so much money on light rail? Even Bobby Moon can see that it is a financial sinkhole drawing many many times the amount of funds per mile that buses do. Buses can go anywhere a car can and can change routes if demographics change, Rail cannot.

Again, for those on the board that are sitting there with their fingers in their ears and their eyes closed saying YAYAYAYA I CAN'T HEAR YOU:

RAIL COSTS TOO MUCH MONEY.

RAIL IS INFLEXIBLE.

RAIL AT GRADE IS UNSAFE.

RAIL WITH STRAY CURRENT LEAKAGE IS UNSAFE.

Compute the rider cost per mile of the light rail and compare it to even your worst bus route and you will see that bus riders are spending far more than the 25% target whereas rail riders are spending far far less. Oh, but wait, you have no effective means to measure light rail ridership since you cannot ensure that every rider has paid a fare, you cannot even tell how many people are on board at any given moment.

I think it is entirely reasonable for the taxpayers to DEMAND AN ACCOUNTING of just how much money has been wasted on your rail line boondoggle. To date, such an accounting has not been forthcoming. Every time Tom Bazan issues a TXPIA request for information, you stonewall and violate state law every time in doing so. This is NOT how you prove to the public you are transparent and working for the public good. The fact that you are recalcitrant about releasing data is proof that the rail line is NOT in the public's best interest.

If you want to be transparent, compute the percentage of the cost of the ride for each route and publish it by route. Include the red line for comparison if you can figure out a way of even doing so, and let the PUBLIC decide whether you are doing a good job.

I DOUBLE DOG DARE YOU.

Mr. Ramsey,

Student, Senior and Disabled holders of the Discount ($52) 365 Day Pass as of Oct. 1, 2006 will be able to renew at the same rate for as long as they remain eligible for the fare category (65-69 for seniors) and renew at a METRO RideStore on a timely basis.  The temporary G cards are being issued to bridge the gap until we are prepared to issue the Discount 365 Day Pass on the Q Card.  At age 70, patrons are eligible to receive the 70+ unlimited ride pass, which is free.  We will also issue 70+ passes on the Q Card when the transition occurs.

That's very interesting.  And it's entirely different that was I was initially told on the phone by a Metro Customer Service Representative when I inquired.  But that was back in Dec so I guess things have been more finialised.

So if I understand you correctly when my disable 365-day pass expires in May I will be allowed to renew it at the current $52 rate and it will be carried over to the Q-pass with no additional charges?

If this is so then Metro needs to tell people this.  There are some other people I ride with who hold senior or disabled 365-day passes and they are under the impression that they will no longer receive a discount.

Ya know Rorschach I am sick and tired of hearing about Metrorail costing too much or being called a 'death train'!  Metrorail is here to stay so please quite your griping about it!

"Ya know Rorschach I am sick and tired of hearing about Metrorail costing too much or being called a 'death train'!  Metrorail is here to stay so please quite your griping about it!"

Henry, your comments are contrary to good government in a free society. I'm sure Metro would love if its customer base would "quit griping."

Unfortunately for them, Metro is a public organization that uses tax dollars. Residents, whether or not they ride Metro, have a right to demand accountability for their tax dollars.

When an arm of local government has the power to levy taxes and seize private property, as Metro does, it's irresponsible for citizens not to pay attention.

I don't ride Metro.  It seems really complicated to pay the fares.  Also,I rode the bus one day to work and the bus smelled really bad.

Are we allowed to say negative things here?  I noticed in the rules it states. Quote - “If you do come in and are rude to me or my guest, I will ask you to be nice – once. If you continue to be rude, you will be thrown out and not allowed back in.- unQuote

Does this mean poster's to this blog can have their legitimate comments censored?

Rorschach:

Where did I say this?

"Bobby Moon can see that it is a financial sinkhole drawing many many times the amount of funds per mile that buses do."

I have NEVER opined as such.  Please don't attribute untrue quotes or opinions to me.

Bobby,

Does MetroRail draw many times the amount of funds per mile than buses do?

"In February, we hope to have 1,000 “Q Boosters” using the system and giving us feedback."

Will the feedback be made public, or will it take an FOIA Request for that information to be made public? (with names and personal information redacted to protect privacy, of course)

Bobby, I think what Rorschach was saying is that, given how frugal you are, you should be in favor of the less expensive, more efficient form of mass transit.  Since it is at least demonstrable that METRO can not show that light rail is more economically efficient in Houston than busses, METRO should stop expanding light rail, refocus on busses, or at least try to prove their reasoning with the tax payer.

Dumoose is exactly on point. I was saying even YOU should be able to see the lack of wisdom of throwing good money after bad down a light rail sinkhole.

And by the way. This message board is paid for by public monies. Censorship or deletion of posts is a violation of our first amendment rights. I'm giving you a pass, this time, if you do it again you will be sorry.

Mr. Ramsey,

"Ya know Rorschach I am sick and tired of hearing about Metrorail costing too much or being called a 'death train'!  Metrorail is here to stay so please quite your griping about it!"

As certain as the sun rises in the east, METRORail will be shut down!  Hopefully, sooner than later, and where taxpayers will save more than less.

I'm going to participate in the Q Card project. But why, why did you (Metro) changed the 67 Dairy Ashford Crosstown route? 67 was running all the way to Bissonnet and Eldridge, but now it does not even go down Bissonnet. I take classes at HCC Alief Campus and the 67 used to drop me right there; now what am I going to do? Walk almost 2 miles to get to school? These are the little things that piss me off about Metro. And there were many students catching that 67 from school to link to 65 Bissonnet; what are they going to do now? I had to change classes and campuses because of this change. Lastly, I would like to make another complaint about infrequent riders not knowing a bus is not running a particular day. Example: 132 Harwin Express and the 67 Dairy Ashford, and 19 Wilcrest Crosstown does not run on Sunday's. While driving, I will always notice people waiting at these bus stops on Sunday's. I nicely approach them to tell them that the Bus is not in service for this day and they are shocked after waiting for hours. On each bus stop there should be a schedule, if not that, at least a posting that says "This so and so bus does not run on this day."

Ahh, I'm finally done. Been a METRO rider for 2 years and it's been tough. I know the system very well...

Always, TTYL

-Quincy

Mary, legally you do not have the right to do that. This is not a privately owned computer system where such rules can be enforced, this system is owned and operated by a public entity that receives federal funding. Therefore you are in violation of the first amendment in  censoring or deleting comments. Do you really want to put your agency's federal funding in jeopardy?

Except that you agreed to those rules when you signed up for an account.  Therefor you voluntarily waived your 1st amendment rights.

I'm not a lawyer, but I do not think that would stand up in a court of law.

There is a challenge pending with the Legal Dept. as we blog.

I wish you would have dispensed with the 'Temp-G' passes.  Today my mother had to go downtown to the ridestore to exchange her Temp-G pass.  She was originally told the Temp-G would be exchanged for a

Q-pass, but since the pass she was issued was only good until 'Jan 31,2007' 10pm? she had to brave the cold and damp weather just to be reissued a pass with the correct expiration date/time, which is to be exchanged again, when the Q-pass system is fully implemented.   This was a very large waste of time(2 hours to get downtown riding the 19 Wilcrest and then the 82 Westheimer) which could have been avoided by simply issuing the correct pass to begin with.

Then there was a line of about 12 people at the Metro Treasury dept. today, all doing the same thing; being issued a new pass with the proper expiration date. And only one person, and a single window being used to exchange the passes....!?

The problem with some of the critical comments posted on the blog tend to come off as smarmy and mildly arrogant, similar to the behavior many say Metro exhibits from time to time.  It seems that there are zealots on both ends of the debate and that will result in nothing but  childish, mindless sniping and the issues will be drowned out.  I think some of the anti-rail people should tone down their remarks and Metro should be more forthcoming with information that doesn't seem like a powdered fluff piece. Until, they do this however, every blog topic discussion can't degenerate into a rail bashing fest.  I'm not going to hold my breath on this one, but I might think that Metro would be a little more forthcoming on meaty information if the blog didn't look like a roost for anti Metro forces.  I think some of you should ease up on the rhetoric and sarcasm, though your points do need to be addressed, without a carefully edited press release.  

And please stop attacking the moderator; she has nothing to do with Metro's current vision for a mass transit system.  Perhaps one day I shall post a little history on Metro's many forays into light rail and other forms of mass transit and why the Main Street line is all we have to show for 30 years of studies.  Believe me, Metro had  many attractive ideas on the table, but, politics and money killed them.

As far as the Q-Cards go, it's hard to support something that killed the U-Pass. For basically $50 a year I had a golden ticket to the whole of the Metro system, and now it's gone.  Metro, you stand to lose a number of riders with these changes, and couple that with your recent bungling of service changes, cutting of service, and no new major services on the horizon (with the exception of the Signature service set to debut this summer), riders are losing confidence.  I think people like Royko and the more sensible Metro foes like L. Simon and Rorscach would be less hostile if you addressed those issues instead of a chat session on the 131. Just a bit of constructive criticism.

And Mary, kudos for weathering the blunt of the public wrath for you employer.  You are even tempered and patient, and in the coming years, you might need to hold on to those qualities.

METRO poisoned the well back in 2001, and as far as being labeled a zealot, the Houston Chronicle Editors labeled all those who refused to drink the Railigous Kool Aid or follow the urban rail lemmings "Luddites."

****

Our own Mayor Bob said it best: (Houston Metropolitan Magazine, November 1990, page 49) about one year after he resigned as Chairman of the METRO Board:

"First they [rail's supporters] say, `It's cheaper.'  When you show it costs more, they say, ` It's faster.'  When you show it's slower, they say, `It serves more riders.'  When you show there are fewer riders, they say, `It brings economic development.'  When you show no economic development, they say, `It helps the image.'  When you say you don't want to spend that much money on image, they say, `It will solve the pollution problem.'  When you show it won't help pollution, they say, finally, `It will take time for rail to do some good.'

==============

I think it is a little hypocritical that the people that go on and on about Metro waisting money on rail and other things, have no problem tieing up the Metro legal dept (which cost tax payer money).

Wakester, you fight with the tools you have available. Since we don't have any other means of redress, TXPIA requests and such are the only tools in our arsenal.

J. Liggins, Ms. Sit signed on to be the public face of METRO. It comes with the job.

Rorschach, she may very well be the "public face" of Metro, if you consider the public face of our beloved agency to be a fledgling blog.  At the same time, she is not the policy maker for the agency so attacking her with smarmy remarks and sarcasm is useless and childish in my opinion.  It's like missing the bus and kicking the bus stop, it may feel good, but your bus is still down the street.  All one can do is hope that more Metro officials like Mr. Moon and Chief Lambert decide to use the blog to defend themselves and Metro and hopefully provide more than carefully edited press releases.

And Ms. Sit, I don't know if your blog topics are decided for you or you have creative control, but as hostile as this place can be, perhaps it would do yourself and Metro some good if the next few  postings dealt with real issues like the rail line, service changes, bolstering the existing bus system, and of course more Q Card information.  Just a thought as I'm sure everyone here wants to get their hands dirty in the real issues, not cotton candy.

Why have you stopped maintaining the rail ticket vending machines?  Neither of the machines at the southbound Museum District stop were working Thursday morning (didn't go there today).  One of the two machines at the northbound Dryden/TMC hasn't been working for about 3 weeks, and the other one hasn't been taking debit or credit for at least that long, and tonight wasn't taking bills either.  So, I've been trying to buy tickets but ending up riding without paying, because I've not been able to buy a ticket.  What is going on?

METRO receives approximately 67% of operating revenue collected from our sales tax, about 15% from federal taxpayer-derived funds, and the balance primarilly from the bus fare boxes, with a paltry dribble from the TVM's.  It seems as if the TVM revenue is not worth the trouble to collect it.

METRO is more interested in trying to stop the steady decline in tram "body count" than worry about tram riders paying.

Royko,

I assume by tram you mean Metro Rail.  I sense that you and some others on this blog hate Metro and the rail in particular for some reason, but I don't.  My comments are in frustration, in that I and several others that have been at the platform at the same time as I have, have been trying to pay, because we care about the rail and want to support it and make it successful.  The rail is not a tram or a toy train or a death train. I've been riding it to work in the Med center since I moved to Houston 1.5 years ago, and ridership is higher now than I've ever seen it.  Why?  Because it is a good system, not perfect, but good.  It could be better, mainly by covering a larger area and making it a truly useful way to get around the city.  Right now it is too limited, but nonetheless it is a good system and transports lots of people every day and keeps lots of cars off the roads.  So please don't turn my comments into something I didn't intend.  I just want them to maintain the ticket vending machines so I can pay when I need to.

IMHO, a little tracking isn't a bad thing since it'll tell METRO where they need to increase service and they won't be able to use their standard excuse,"not enough ridership", when they'll obviously have the data that'd prove otherwise.

I have a few questions about transfer directions and how to figure out the cost of the transfers.

My usual commute trip includes busses that don't travel in the same "direction."  As in the first (local) bus travels eastbound, per tripplanner's schedule, and then the next (express) bus travels northbound.  My first question is, will I not receive the free transfer, because my busses don't travel in the same "directions?"   How is direction determined?

My second question is, how will the fare cost be determined?  Paying cash, my first trip costs $1 on the local, but my second leg of the trip on the express I ride costs $1.50 during peak hours.  I currently use a 30 day express pass, which covers the cheaper fare, but with the Q card, how will I be charged? $.50 extra at the transfer time, or do I have to tell the bus driver I will be tranferring to a more expensive bus before I swipe my card?

In regards to my second question, due to poor bus times, my second leg doesn't always include the express, I have to take a local instead. (The busses arrive/depart within one minute a block apart from each other, and I think most riders know how well the busses keep their schedule. :)  So how would that situation be handled?  A reoccuring need for a  complaint/refund request?

Henry, I agree that data on ridership is a valuable thing for Metro to use. Just to clarify, it is the personally identifiable travel information in the database that concerns me. Such information could be subject to abuse by malicious individuals, like stalkers or overzealous government agents. I would like some better idea of how Metro will store the data and who will have access and how.

aside from my previous post, I've been lurking on this blog for a while, was just waiting for a post with some solid (sounding) informaton relating to the Q cards.. having a few of my questions already answered from this post, and after posting my unanswered questions, my next concern would be about security for these RFID cards..

not to sound paranoid, but... :)

scottbs, while you're on the right track for a database having all of this information, think about the other components and consider this <a href="http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.05/rfid.html" target="_blank">wired article on RFID hacking</a>.. i.e. the card you will be keeping your pocket or bag..

now consider: someone riding the bus next to you or even just standing next to you at a bus stop and "cloning" your Q card.. busy day at a regular bus stop or park and ride could mean someone is riding for free.. as the technology gets more widely used and accepted, the equipment required to accomplish this will too, as well as go down in cost..

this is all under the assumption (and you know what happens when you assume) that metro has taken the steps and put forth the investment for encrypted RFID cards..

but metro has already thought of this... right? :)

on a side note.. there are wallets and cases that protect your RFID tags from being read, unless you remove them from the holder or flip them open to be read.. so it's not as if you're totally at risk, there are ways of prevention, but this reply is about the principal of RFID technology and poor implementation.

ok.. oops. I didn't know html wasn't allowed in the responses..

the url from above is: http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.05/rfid.html

wakester, i figured that the cards would be encrypted.. that would be a hot mess if metro didn't choose to go that route.. but you know, there is always that chance corporate greed will win over the right thing to do.. i ordered a booster card as well, since i'm all for early adoption and technology.. i'd just like a clear answer on what is happening and what to expect..

Why are the Qpass readers always two minutes ahead?

Every bus I've been on has a two minute difference between the driver GPS unit(the display the drivers use to determine whether they're on schedule) and the Qbox is always two minutes faster than the GPS. They are also two minutes faster than my Atomic Watch which is a special timepiece set automatically by NIST radio signals.

Are these qboxes going to be synchronized correctly before everyone has a Qpass?  It would seem possible for errors like this to create extra costs to passengers.