Metro Transit New fareboxes for old

By JOHN CHARLES WILSON

The story of “Aladdin”'s Lamp” contains the phrase, “New lamps for old!” Well, two of my bus-riding experiences last month make me think of “New fareboxes for old!”

The first one was on Route 10, Central Avenue Northeast. The bus had a new, very sophisticated farebox. There was even a smart card reader integrated with the farebox; however, it wasn”'t in use. There was a regular Go-To Card reader by the front door, as usual. I have reason to believe this was an unannounced test and these new fareboxes may be in our future.

The second one was on Route 70, East Side of Saint Paul. It was one of the old buses from the 1980s, a type rarely seen anymore. It has the padded seats and the windows that actually opened so you could feel the breeze on your face, not just the vents up above your head. Of course it was a high-floor model, so you had to climb three steps to enter or exit. On the other hand, there were more seats than on modern buses, and there were actually seats close enough to the driver that you could actually have a conversation with him or her.… Read the rest “Metro Transit New fareboxes for old”