Changes in technology causing problems for Saskatoon bus riders
Saskatoon bus riders are raising concerns over the new fare boxes that have been implemented in city buses since December.
Robert Clipperton, the media spokesperson behind “Bus Riders of Saskatoon,” a Facebook group, says there’s several issues facing bus riders.
Unlike the old fare boxes that were implemented in 2009, the new ones don’t show passengers how many ride are left on their card or if they’ve transferred properly.
“I think what we’re dealing with is a temporary problem with some of the new software and in the interfaces,” Clipperton said.
Clipperton says prior to the new fare boxes, the old ones were often broken, leaving riders unable to pay. According to Saskatoon Transit, the driver can tell customers how many rides are left on the card when a person has paid. However, Clipperton doesn’t think it’s a long-term solution and believes it can be improved.
“That holds up the amount of time it takes for people to get on the bus, and the longer it takes for people to board the bus then the longer it makes the trip for everybody,” Clipperton said.
Saskatoon Transit interim director Tracey Davis the new fare boxes are in about half of the buses across the city, with the other half being installed this month.
Davis says the new boxes are a change in technology and some are facing communications issues such as the machine taking more than one fare or not transferring properly.
“Our supplier is working on a patch currently to fix that problem. And that problem will be alleviated when we have all of our fare boxes replaced with the new version, hopefully by the end of January,” Davis said.
As Saskatoon Transit works to fix the problem, it says it has no problem with replacing tickets should customers have to report it.
The new fare boxes are also slimmer compared to the old, leaving for more space on the bus, but with no screen facing riders.
“Space is at a premium and our fare boxes today are smaller, more compact, and the screen for customers to view just simply isn't part of our new fare box provided to us by our supplier,” Davis said.
Gloss