Originally Posted by
kebosabi
LA also has Metrolink which runs on distance based fares as well. You could say that's more of a commuter rail system, but the way our Metro system is expanding beyond it's outreach (i.e. the Metro Blue Line for example, goes to the City of Long Beach, the Metro Gold Line is heading towards the San Bernardino County line, LA Metro even runs buses to Anaheim for Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm which is in Orange County), the convention of "local" and "commuter" transit is becoming blurred.
Metrolink is not a system that people use to "get around". Most people use it to get to work and back. They only need to look up one fare for their route. This can work for a commuter rail system where people ride the same route every day, but not for a local system that people use to get different places. I agree that the LA Metro is overextending itself and would be smarter to build up a comprehensive network in the city center first, but that is a political debate for another thread.
Originally Posted by
kebosabi
IMO, it's kinda doubtful that a flat rate system (currentl $1.50, but soon to be raised to $2.25, again with no certainty that it'll be the end of it) can ever be sustained where going to the neighborhood supermarket will cost the same price as going from Malibu to Ontario.
There are also daily and monthly passes. Anyone using the train to go to the supermarket would likely have a pass.
I particularly like this feature on Oyster. Once you hit the daily maximum, you are no longer charged. I don't know what that amount is or if I ever hit it, but hopefully I can trust TfL here. :P
Originally Posted by
kebosabi
One can just use the contactless credit card to tap and go from NYMTA, Amtrak Acela, and DC Metro with a single payment card instead of having to buy a NYMTA card, a separate ticket for Amtrak, and a SmarTrip card.
There has been some progress in this area. DC's SmarTrip and MD's Charm Card are interoperable. Clipper is used on I think 6 or 8 different agencies in the Bay Area, and TAP is used on some city buses in addition to MTA. There is more work to do, but we are seeing some baby steps.
I think most of these contactless cards use Cubic Transportation, so standardizing them should be relatively easy if the agencies can agree. If Cubic were smart, they'd develop their own branded card that can be used on any agency they contract with. That would get them a lot more contracts.