talk about burying the lede

[redbird]

From the MBTA's weekly service advisory email:

Beginning Monday, December 12 all riders at the following stations will need to validate CharlieCards or tappable CharlieTickets at a fare vending machine prior to boarding or use the farebox at the front of the train:


Ball Square Station
College Avenue Station
East Somerville Station
Gilman Square Station
Magoun Square Station

This isn't even burying the lede; the actual news is that htey're finally going to open these stations on Monday morning. And by the way, you'll need to validate your card or ticket.

Comments

[calimac]

And no doubt adding confusion to out of town visitors. The last time I used the MBTA, which was in 2007, I had to buy a CharlieCard without any indication available on how much a ride cost, and thus having to guess randomly how much money to put on the card.

[redbird]

You at least passed the first pointless hurdle, of finding someone to get the physical card from.

The fare vending machines now offer, by default, to put enough money on your card to cover one ($4.80) or two ($9.60) round trips by subway.

[calimac]

The card came from a machine at the terminal entrance, as I recall. That wasn't too hard to figure out, but the option for how much money, as I noted, didn't say how much a trip cost, nor did anything else I could see from there. On BART, fees vary by distance, and there's a little chart showing how much each other station is from where you're at.

[redbird]

MBTA commuter rail fares also vary depending on distance (by zones).

For reasons that pass all understanding, MBTA subway fares can be paid using either a CharlieCard or a paper ticket, while commuter rail fares can be paid using a smartphone app or a paper ticket, but not a CharlieCard.

[calimac]

It was a flat fee then. Didn't your post originally say that now the system prompts you to buy one or two round-trip flat-fee tickets? That was why I mentioned that BART runs differently. Maybe, if it's zones, it's like London: most rides, at least for visitors, are within the inner zone, so those riders don't have to worry about zones.

[redbird]

Sorry, I was digressing a bit there, because the MBTA commuter rail does have stops in the city proper (and in the inner suburbs), some of which are physically connected to subway stops.