I want to copliment a remarkable train crew in Trenton NJ

Even though we all think SEPTA is a scumbag of a company, I do want to make mention of a very considerate crew I rode with out of Trenton.

I unfortunately forget the date or the train number, but both the Conductor and the Assistant Conductor were positioned on the platform with the train doors open when the NJT train arrived. The remarkable thing was that both of these individuals were assisting passengers with the ticket vending machines on the platform. Basically, the two were acting as agents for their own train. They would take your money, put it in the machine, and help you get a ticket.

Since we all know that these machines are un-user friendly to even an experienced rider, it was nice to see a crew that was willing to work WITH the passengers instead of against them.

from what I hear, we have pointy-haired bosses and good staff

The Caternary Type wrote:from what I hear, we have pointy-haired bosses and good staff

Well, there are good crews and bad crews. As "Caternary" [sic] said, some of them really make an effort to serve the customers. Others leave trainloads of passengers to sit and wait while they get a sandwich, or try to hit on women passengers. Said bosses need to get active and encourage the former and discipline the latter.

this is always good to see. up until this week, I didn't even know that the machines in Trenton sell $7 through tickets to stations outside the city such as Airport, Wilmington, and Chestnut Hill. The NJT-vendor tickets are only accepted as fare to the city, even though they also cost $7. Fortunately, the SEPTA machines pick up the slack as far as that is concerned. One time I had unknowingly bought NJT tickets to go past the city. I turned them in because they would be forever useless to me as a suburbanite

I'm glad to see conductor crews working to help save the system from its own demise. Basically, the passengers need to understand the $2 on board ticketing policy is a safety and efficiency issue. The conductors can not serve every single passenger in half an hour or less, so they need to try to make sure the ticket agnets are being utilized for money collection. Not only is this safe practice, but it reduces costs on all the lines, or rather it prevents the money going to Eden's from being a total waste of capital, which it is not. Keep cash off our trains whenever possible. It's not practical to sell tickets on trains. The $2 should go up, even. Why is it so hard for people to buy tickets in advance? And why did the Glenside and Jenkintown ticket machines disappear? I see long lines at ticket lines on the NJT and LIRR and wonder why people can't just stock up and avoid missing trains on their own accord.

LAUNCHman wrote:And why did the Glenside and Jenkintown ticket machines disappear?

SEPTA blamed the passengers (claiming vandalism and abuse), but the same machines functioned just fine for San Francisco Muni at Powell and Market--the vagrancy capital of the nation, and it's hard to believe that there were vandals afoot at every SEPTA station, so take SEPTA's excuse with a grain of salt. There were also reports SEPTA failed to maintain the machines properly.

The Baltimore light rail line also has TVM's at virtually every stop. I rode most of the length of the line and it went through some pretty scuzzy areas but the TVM's were lit up and apparently functional.

Why is it so hard for people to buy tickets in advance?

In general I agree. I always tried to buy my pass a week or so before the end of the prior month and could never understand the loooonnngg lines of people who waited till the last minute. But in all fairness there are times when you can't be prepared or events take over. Plus you have SEPTA's less-than-efficient sales policies; for ex., arrive at the station 15 minutes early, no TVM, find one lugubrious clerk and a line of a dozen people, then the guy 3 in front of you wants to use the ticket window as a travel agency. Not a fantasy, I've seen it and experienced it.

And the situation is an order of magnitude worse for transit riders in the suburbs. All but a few of the token sales outlets are in places like RRD stations instead of at locations accessible to bus and trolley lines. You have a choice of going out of your way to get tokens or paying the 2-buck "sucker" fare. Yes, those of us with spare cash can afford to make a side trip once in a while and stock up, but there are lots of lower-income riders who don't have that luxury. They can tie up their extra cash in a token stash or by paying an extra 70c each time they ride. Either way, they get stiffed.

As I've noted before, I've talked to more than one SEPTA employee who has told me that some managers view the surcharges and gotchas as revenue-generators rather than inducements to prepay.

Matthew Mitchell wrote:

The Caternary Type wrote:from what I hear, we have pointy-haired bosses and good staff

Well, there are good crews and bad crews. As "Caternary" [sic] said, some of them really make an effort to serve the customers. Others leave trainloads of passengers to sit and wait while they get a sandwich, or try to hit on women passengers. Said bosses need to get active and encourage the former and discipline the latter.

I can't change my username! I'm stuck with Caternary [sic]!