United States Department of Transportation
i
Description and Evaluation of the MBTA Magnetic Card Fare Collection System
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1981-09-01
[PDF-2.04 MB]
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Abstract:Observation over the years by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) indicated that a significant number of passengers entered the system without using a valid pass. Fraudulent entry was gained using various methods of deceit, the most common of which involved invalid or falsified passes. The magnetic card fare collection system was designed to provide the MBTA passengers with the option of obtaining a monthly pass and to establish a barrier to reduce loss of revenue and unrecorded ridership. The objective of this study was to describe and assess the MBTA's new fare collection system in sufficient depth in order to allow the managers of other properties to assess the applicability of the MBTA system to their fare collection needs. This report presents a system and subsystem description of the MBTA magnetic card fare collection system, which was introduced on November 1, 1980. Included is a preliminary assessment of performance of system operation based on data collection during the second and third months of operation. The objective of the magnetic card fare collection system is to allow the MBTA to continue to make monthly passes available to the public while relieving the collector of the burden of ticket-by-ticket validation. Fraudulent entry into the system is greatly reduced by requiring passengers using cards to enter through the turnstiles as token users do. Each station in the rapid transit system has a minimum of two turnstiles that have modified to allow entry via a magnetic card as well as a token. It was determined that: 1) passengers have no difficulty in using their magnetic cards to gain entry; 2) there is no noticeable difference in the time needed to pass through a turnstile with a card as compared with a token; 3) the magnetic card system has allowed the MBTA to lock the gate used with the previous paper pass system, thus forcing all passengers to use the turnstiles, thereby establishing a system which should stop fraud and increase revenues and recorded ridership; and 4) turnstiles that accept tokens can be easily retrofitted to allow entry via a magnetic card.
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