Vta's New Farebox - May 2011
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Hi! I’m Chris.
This summer, VTA will be installing new fareboxes on our buses
that will significantly improve your riding experience.
Beginning in May, you may encounter these new fareboxes as part of our testing phase,
on a limited number of routes.
Once testing is complete, we will install the new fareboxes on our entire bus fleet.
Installation will take place over several weeks,
so you may continue to see and use the old equipment on some of our buses until the upgrade is completed.
One of the major benefits of the new fareboxes is its ability to accurately collect ridership data
to help us plan service around your travel needs.
In this video, I will explain the basic features of our new farebox,
and what you can do to ensure correct fare payment and quick boarding.
So if you're ready, let's get started!
With the new farebox, VTA day passes will now be issued directly from the farebox
in the form of “limited use smart cards”.
When using this new day pass on subsequent bus trips,
simply “tag” it on the smart card reader located on top of the farebox.
It’s that simple!
You will no longer need to show the day pass to the operator.
Place all bills in the bill validator slot
which accept all U.S. bills up to $20.
Please ensure that your bills are unfolded and in good condition
to avoid being rejected by the farebox and to speed up the boarding process.
Like before, VTA does not provide change
so paying with exact fare is highly recommended.
The new farebox also has an easy to use coin slot
that will take all U.S. coins, including pennies.
Ensure that you drop the coins one at a time so as not to jam the farebox
and unnecessarily delay your trip.
A magnetic swipe reader is another feature
which you will encounter on all new fareboxes.
The swipe reader allows the farebox to read magnetically encoded passes
from other transit agencies.
You will only use this feature if you are boarding with a Highway 17 Express Pass
or a pass from Monterey Salinas Transit.
Please remember that VTA’s fareboxes will only read VTA, Highway 17,
and Monterey Salinas Transit passes.
If you are using Clipper, you need to tag your Clipper Card onto the separate Clipper reader
mounted next to the farebox.
Now that we have given you a quick introduction to VTA’s new fareboxes,
let’s talk about how to pay your fare with cash, transfers, or a day pass.
If you are using cash to pay for a single ride fare, here’s what to do:
Insert coins and/or currency as needed to pay the cost of a single ride.
Inform the operator if you qualify for a discount fare
and be ready to provide proof of eligibility if requested.
If you are using cash to pay for a day pass, here’s what to do:
Insert coins and/or currency as needed to pay the cost of the day pass.
Once full payment is received, the day pass will be dispensed through the dispensing slot
at the top of the farebox.
The back of the day pass will be printed with the fare category and date for which it is valid.
This same information is also encoded onto the ticket itself.
If you have already purchased a VTA day pass, you can use this day pass
to ride other VTA bus or light rail only on the day you purchased it.
To ride another bus, simply tag your day pass on the smart card reader
located on top of the farebox... and you're good to go!
After tagging your day pass, please proceed to your seat.
If you ride VTA light rail later that day using your valid day pass,
simply show the fare inspector that day pass as proof of purchase.
If you are using paper monthly passes or Senior/Disabled RTC cards with a valid sticker,
please continue to present that pass or card to the bus operator.
You can learn more about these new fareboxes by visiting our website at www.vta.org/farebox.
You can also contact VTA Customer Service at (408) 321-2300.
Thank you for taking the time to learn about VTA’s new farebox!
We are excited about this upgrade that will help improve our service,
and make your ride as comfortable and as easy as possible.
