PART ONE: FARE SALES AND COLLECTION The Changing Face of Transit: A Worldwide Survey of Transportation Agency Practices February 2001 THE CHANGING FACE OF TRANSIT: A WORLDWIDE SURVEY OF TRANSPORTATION AGENCY PRACTICES Table of Contents Executive Summary Introduction 1 Summary of Findings 4 Part One: Fare Sales and Collection Introduction 11 Findings: Summary of Responses 15 Findings: Individual Agency Responses 25 Part Two: Automatic Train Supervision Introduction 47 Findings: Summary of Responses 53 Findings: Individual Agency Responses 59 Part Three: Station Personnel Introduction 81 Findings: Summary of Responses 84 Findings: Individual Agency Responses 92 Bibliography 131 Appendices Appendix A: Agency Profiles A-1 Appendix B: Fare Sales and Collection Survey Results B-1 Appendix C: Automatic Train Supervision Survey Results C-1 Appendix D: Station Personnel Survey Results D-1 PREFACE This report, issued by MTA New York City Transit’s (NYC Transit) Office of Management and Budget, covers research conducted in the years 2000 and 2001. In the Fall of 2000, NYC Transit surveyed metros from around the world under the auspices of CoMET, the Committee of Major Metros. CoMET provides a forum for the nine participating large international transit agencies (Berlin, Hong Kong, London, Mexico City, Moscow, New York, Paris, São Paulo, and Tokyo) to share information and compare practices. This networking project questionnaire was based on the CoMET goal of gathering and sharing information on peer practices and experiences. Authors included Rachel M. Healy, Ross A. Kapilian and the following interns under the supervision of Robert J. Newhouser, Unit Chief: Joshua Rosenberg, Sunanda Pathirange, and Lukas Herbert. Cooperation from our colleagues throughout the world whose generous participation made this research possible is greatly appreciated. If you have any questions or comments about this report, please contact: Rachel Healy Office of Management and Budget MTA New York City Transit 130 Livingston Street Room 7008D Brooklyn, New York USA 11201 (718) 694-3081 [email protected] Lawrence G. Reuter, President Barbara R. Spencer, Executive Vice President Office of Management and Budget Harvey M. Poris, Director Keith J. Hom, Deputy Director The Changing Face of Transit: A Worldwide Survey of Transportation Agency Practices MTA New York City Transit Technology has reinvented the way the world conducts its business, and the transit industry is no exception. Transit agencies around the world are striving to use technology to develop better ways of doing business and improve their customers’ travel experience. This paper is intended to assess the state of the practice in three areas: fare sales and collection, automatic train supervision, and station personnel practices. Introduction Topics Addressed In the Fall of 2000, MTA New York City The topics addressed were chosen because (NYC Transit) sur- they address primary concerns of customers veyed metros from and are areas where advances in transit around the world practices have led to improved service about fare sales and provision. collection, automatic Fare sales addresses convenience, speed of train supervision, access to service, and affects the range of and station personnel practices. These issues reflect three areas of change in transit operations that are of interest to NYC Transit and other agencies. In examining these three topics, NYC Transit intended to increase its knowledge base, and also had three broader objectives in mind: § Focus on practices as a means to illustrate how transit agencies throughout the world address basic operational issues. § Promote sharing of information on an international basis. products available. Innovations in fare sales collection technology have altered the transit § Provide a model for future work on transit functions in these key areas: industry practices. The approach undertaken here is similar to the Transit § Easier and more tailored purchases by Cooperative Research Program’s (TCRP) customers due to advanced ticket sales and “Synthesis of Practices” in the United diverse payment options. States, which is an excellent prototype for § Improved passenger flow due to presenting research on practical issues of introduction of smart, swipe and interest to the transit industry. contactless cards. 1 Executive Summary § Integration of transit services offered by Station personnel addresses the provision of more than one transit agency resulting high-quality customer service, as they are the from unified fare systems. public face of any transit agency. Key station personnel issues include: § Improved transit service management, making use of data collected from fare § The role of agency and/or contracting sales and collection (possibly in personnel. conjunction with ATS § Levels of station staffing. technologies). § The discrete or combined § Lower costs for fare role of station staff in collection. performing ticket sales, Automatic Train Supervision customer assistance, cleaning, (ATS) helps to provide reliable train crew assistance, and service by enabling transit safety and security. agencies to pro-actively manage service, reducing the number and duration of delays Research Efforts and increasing speed and re- In August 2000, NYC Transit liability. ATS also gives surveyed 88 metros and high agencies the ability to provide capacity commuter rails agen- real-time passenger information allowing cies around the world to evaluate areas of customers to plan and control their trip. rapid change in transit industry practices. The survey covered the aforementioned topics of Two major advances in transit technology fare sales and collection, ATS, and station made up ATS systems:1 personnel (copies of the questionnaires are § Implementation of ATS technology varies attached). NYC Transit also conducted a widely from reporting the location of literature search on issues associated with trains to a central control these topics that can be found in each section center where dispatchers of the report. make manual adjustments As shown in Table 1, 33 to service, to a complex agencies, primarily metros and computerized system that commuter rail agencies from the automatically controls train United States, Canada, Europe movement. This integration and Japan, have responded to the of various systems on and questionnaire. Of these, 25 off vehicles can lead to reported on fare sales and more reliable service. collection, 29 reported on ATS § Use of the same real-time systems, and 33 reported on data, along with new and station personnel issues. To established delivery provide context for the study findings, a brief mechanisms and train trip analysis profile of each agency is provided in software, to provide improved passenger Appendix A and more detailed subject information services. summaries are provided in each chapter. 1 Transit ITS Compendium, Institute of Transportation Engineers, Washington DC. April 1997 2 Executive Summary Table 1 Questionnaire Respondents City Service Provided Berlin, Germany Metro Hong Kong, China (MTR) Metro London, England Metro Moscow, Russia Metro New York, New York, USA Metro Paris, France (RATP) Metro Paris, France (RER) Metro/Commuter Rail São Paulo, Brazil Metro Tokyo, Japan Metro Athens, Greece (Attiko Metro) Metro Athens, Greece (ISAP) Metro Atlanta, Georgia, USA Metro Baltimore, Maryland, USA Metro Barcelona, Spain Metro Boston, Massachusetts, USA Metro Budapest, Hungary Metro Hamburg, Germany Metro Jersey City, New Jersey, USA (PATH) Metro Los Angeles, California, USA Metro Miami, Florida, USA Metro Milan, Italy Metro Montreal, Canada Metro Munich, Germany Metro Nagoya, Japan Metro Prague, Czech Republic Metro Santiago, Chile Metro Singapore Metro Toronto, Canada Metro Washington, D.C., USA Metro Hong Kong, China (KCRC) Commuter Rail Johannesburg, South Africa Commuter Rail Osaka, Japan Commuter Rail Sydney, Australia Commuter Rail 3 Executive Summary Summary of Findings agencies are using this data to speed fare sales, The following is an overview of survey reduce transaction times, and adjust service findings. Detailed findings are presented in levels. Part One “Fare Sales and Collection,” Part Two “Automatic Train Supervision,” and Part Fare Sales Methods Three “Station Personnel.” Individual agency § Tickets/Plans: The most common fare responses to the surveys are provided in options are single fare tickets and monthly Appendices B, C, and D. passes (each offered by 19 respondents). Fare Sales and Collection Metros throughout the world are utilizing new technologies to improve their fare sales and collection systems and move from a cash- based, single ticket fare structure to a cashless environment with greater convenience and more options for customers. To increase Passes for a specific number of days less than one week, multi-ride tickets with or without discounts, and annual or one-week passes are also popular among respondents. Additionally, most agencies offer discount fares for students and seniors. § Technology: More agencies use paper tickets than any other type. Magnetic convenience for customers and reduce costs, swipe cards, contactless cards, and insert some metros are now accepting credit cards and return (“dipping”) cards are each used and debit cards for ticket payment, and use of by less than half of respondents. vending machines for ticket sales has become standard practice. Expanded use of smart § Operations: All 23 respondents accept cards and contactless cards enable transit cash; a minority also