Your Questions on the Q Card

re: Your Questions on the Q Card

gc21 — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 04:39:40 GMT

Excellent, informative post. Again, you may want to put these FAQs in a brochure or something so that non-internet users (and/or non-blog readers) can have their questions answered. These brochures could be available at all Q Card vendors and locations with bus schedule racks (like libraries).

re: Your Questions on the Q Card

Mary Sit — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 15:35:52 GMT

Faz, send me an e-mail (click on "Contact Us") with your name and address, and I will try to track down why you haven't received your Q Booster card. Sorry yours hasn't arrived for some reason!

re: Your Questions on the Q Card

Laurence Simon — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 16:58:02 GMT

"Q: Why does the Qbox not read my card sometimes?

A: Make sure your Q Card is not flat against another smart card, like an employee card."

So I have a smart card for work, a smart card for the gate at home, and the Q card.

Thankfully, I have a two-fold wallet. Three sections for three cards. But I find that I keep forgetting which card is in which section.

;)

re: Your Questions on the Q Card

Mark — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 18:50:57 GMT

While testing the QCard, which worked wonderfully, I found that it was too fast for the driver to read and understand. Unless the driver was looking at the QBox(and he better not blink), he could determine if the green light flashed. Will Metro address this issue?

re: Your Questions on the Q Card

David — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 04:10:58 GMT

I had a concern similar to that of Mark: when I tap the card, the driver has to be looking at a very small green light to confirm that I have "paid" for my ride. When I boarded one bus with my QCard, the driver was chatting with the patron who boarded just before me. I tried to wait until the driver was looking at me and the QCard reader, but had to go ahead and tap the card to the reader without being sure that the driver saw me. The driver looked a little puzzled, but I held up my card for him to see and he seemed to be OK with that. Will there be an audible confirmation of payment via QCard for the driver similar to that of the current fare boxes? This might save problems similar to those encountered by Mark and by me. Also, when I boarded one bus early one morning (near the origination point of the route) the QCard reader displayed "Shift Closed". I tried the QCard, but no green light. I asked the driver if the reader was working and he seemed a little surprised or confused, then said that he needed to "restart" the machine. As I began to reach for my wallet to pay via cash, he waived me on, giving me a "pass". Might need to make sure that all of the drivers are expecting the QCards to be used. Otherwise, I'm impressed with the system thus far. Seems to handle transfers (from bus to light rail) correctly. I think that the system will be much easier to use than the current cash fares and transfer cards.

re: Your Questions on the Q Card

Marc B — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 23:04:01 GMT

so they are working the transfers based on time and no longer direction? just want a clear answer..

re: Your Questions on the Q Card

Mary Sit — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 21:50:45 GMT

David, here are some answers to your questions.

RE: Free transfers and traveling in the same direction:

Free transfers are allowed within two hours to any bus or train needed to complete the trip. The system will allow transfers to any bus other than buses on the same route in the reverse direction (no round tripping).

RE: Where to get a Q Card reloaded at the Medical Center.

Probably the easiest way to recharge the card in the Med Center after 6:00 pm is at the TMC transit center. The retail booth is the transit center is open until 7:00 pm.

RE: Where to find updated list of vendors to recharge the card.

Check our Web site at www.ridemetro.org. Kroger should be ready by next week.

RE: When "Shift closed" flashes on the card reader.

Would you mind e-mailing that information to us? (Go to "Contact Us" on the blog.) We would really like to know any info on bus route, bus number, time of day, direction, or anything to help us identify it. Thanks!

re: Your Questions on the Q Card

Woody Speer — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 02:49:06 GMT

One of the cool things about Q Cards is that actual usage can be tracked. When bloggers write and want to know how much our METRO board members and upper management of METRO actually utilize METRO; answering these type up questions will be a snap as Mary can simply query the Q card database and generate an answer to those never ending questions from those pesky bloggers.

re: Your Questions on the Q Card

meil — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 13:14:02 GMT

What will the fare prices be for Zone 3 park and ride lots? I have only seen the information that the "base fare rate" will be $1, but no other information.

re: Your Questions on the Q Card

Mary Sit — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 20:55:02 GMT

David, sorry to hear about the frustrating process you had trying to reload your card. The places you went SHOULD have been able to load your Q card. When you have problems like this, we would love it if you could e-mail us the particulars (time, date and location) to qcard@ridemetro.org and we will follow up on them. We are trying to track down right now what happened at those two places.

re: Your Questions on the Q Card

faz — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 00:27:53 GMT

I entered my info at the "contact us" link and still nothing. Still wondering whats going on.

re: Your Questions on the Q Card

Mary Sit — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 17:38:52 GMT

David, you reported earlier that you tried to add money at the TMC transit center on Monday and could not. The person said the machine was down. We researched that, and the machine was down for a number of hours because the storm knocked the phone line out (and the RPOS works over a phone line). The phone line was repaired the same day and we are back on.

Also, you mentioned that you had a problem trying to load your card with a retailer in the 7000 block of Fannin. We have notified the subcontractor who is responsible for the retailers, and the company is sending a trainer back out. This is a good example of where we would like to hear back from our Q Boosters. If we know there is a problem with a retailer, we will send someone out to fix it.

Thanks for reporting the problems!

re: Your Questions on the Q Card

Mary Sit — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 18:00:41 GMT

Regarding a question on senior passes:

If you do not already hold a senior pass (and had that pass before Oct 2, 2006), you will not be eligible for a senior fare until you are 65. If you already had the senior pass before Oct 2 (so you turned 62 before Oct 2 and had already gotten a senior pass), then you will grandfathered in.

re: Your Questions on the Q Card

David — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 22:08:42 GMT

Update on recharging the QCard at TMC Transit Center: the machine there now works and I was able to recharge my QCard yesterday. David

re: Your Questions on the Q Card

PWang — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 15:46:23 GMT

I have one of the old pre-paid magnetic fare cards, and I have no idea how to redeem it for a Q card. Please let us all know soon, OK?