SFist: You'd Best Be Sitting Down for This One...

July 17, 2008

You'd Best Be Sitting Down for This One...

translink%20works.jpg
Photo by superb SFist commenter and Flickr user zippy_monster

Ta-da!

By Brock in Miscellaneous | Link | Comments (17) | Recommend this! (5) |

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Comments (17)

[1] | 07/17/08 07:41PM

Brilliant!

Who even HAS a TransLink card that could use it to take that picture?

How exactly do they do a proof of payment?

[2] | 07/17/08 08:10PM

The day I need to sit down to wonder at San Francisco's public transit is the day when it works as well as Tokyo's public transit system.

Amateurs.

[3] | 07/17/08 08:12PM

Jesus, are you actually going to make me check my credit card statements to see how long I've been using TL? I've had it for almost a year now, and it's worked almost flawlessly for me.

I've been grousing that TL does indeed work for about as long as I've had the card. Been pointing out how they do POP too. Whine.

My guess is that they won't officially announce anything since the turnstiles haven't all been 'updated' to include TL readers. 'Course with proper POP they wouldn't need turnstiles.

TL cards are available from the TL site, and have been for quite a while. There are a number of significant problems with TL, but the basic functionality is there and has been for a while on the LRVs. Now, almost all (if not all) of the buses have the readers too.

Follow the link to the picture for an explanation of how they do POP with the TL cards.

[4] | 07/17/08 08:12PM

Come to think of it, I wanna know what happened to my six cents.

[5] | 07/17/08 08:23PM

I'm speechless. You mean they're not just for decoration?!

[6] | 07/17/08 09:38PM

No, no. This temporary functionality is just bait to lure you in. They've exhausted the agony of anticipation. Now, for maximum sadistic effect, they need some amount of buy-in from our end.

[7] | 07/18/08 01:04AM

what the hey?

[8] | 07/18/08 01:07AM

LIES.

No... it can't be.

I... the... no.

[9] | 07/18/08 01:12AM

I CANNOT BELIEVE. [/caps]

Also, the 6 cents? ...

[10] | 07/18/08 03:35AM

And only a day or two late from the most recently announced date too. Nice to know that they've still remembered how to not get it done on time.

Actually, according to the Translink site it still isn't available for public use. So no real change since they've been unofficially working for a while now.

[11] | 07/18/08 03:45AM

At least from the news sources I've read, it is technically "unofficial" on Muni.

From what Muni says, you can try to use it at your own risk, although it is not officially ready for public use. They are trying to take away any liability from customers who may use the card to get their first ride, and if they transfer within 90 minutes and the reader is non-operational or broken, Muni won't give you a refund on paying $1.50 in cash since Translink payments don't issue a paper transfer.

If Muni wants this program to work, they need to get the reliability of readers up in the very high 90 percentile. From my rides on the buses, I usually see about a 10 to 20% non operational rate.

One last item: Do you think Muni and Translink will install Translink card readers at the AT&T Park metro platform? I always remember that you have to go through a gauntlet of at least four fare inspectors on your way up to the platform after the games.

[12] | 07/18/08 09:09AM

that's IT? that's all it does? does some kind of ray-beam shoot out to prevent people from boarding without paying?

[13] | 07/18/08 10:33AM

Hey, great Photoshopping! :P

[14] | 07/18/08 12:25PM

What's great about Translink on Muni is the fare inspectors don't appear to inspect Translink cards; just wave the card and the inspector goes on to harass the next commuter on the train.

[15] | 07/18/08 02:31PM

They've had those things on the train since I first moved here in 2001. They're just to scare foreigners into awkwardly trying to figure out how to buy a MUNI fare. Like those fake owls people put on their houses to keep pigeons away.

[16] | 07/18/08 03:17PM

Zippy, regarding the missing $0.06, did you happen to ride Golden Gate recently? Golden Gate Transit and Ferry riders always receive the Ride Value and Frequent Ferry Rider discounts when using TransLink rather than cash - a savings of 10-20% for bus riders and 37-46% for ferry riders. That might explain why your balance is not a round number.

Regarding the cardreaders on Muni faregates, gates that were historically exit only gates have been converted to be TransLink entrance gates. New signage will appear soon, however the gates do work now. Simply tag your card and pass through the faregate.

[17] | 07/19/08 08:56PM

Really? After only 7 years, too. MUNI is really on a roll.