SmartLink is here

[Allan]

I went home by way of the PATH WTC route (from Newport) tonight, and lo and behold, they were showing the SmartLink Card at the WTC station.

The card costs $29 ($24 fare - 20 rides, plus a $5 card fee). At the moment they are only accepting cash as payment to buy the card. My guess is that it will stay that way unless they create an online purchase program. I will assume that once the initial roll-out is done, you will be able to buy the card from the newsstands in the main PATH stations and other authorized vendors.

The brochures (print and online) says the cards can be registered online, but a check of the site shows no online registration capability; just the ability to download a form (.pdf). The forms are also available where the card is purchased.

I won't be using my new card for about a week or so, since there are still rides left on my QuickCard. It will be interesting to see how well it works and how well the refill process on the PATH MVMs works.

[Terry Kennedy]

I went home by way of the PATH WTC route (from Newport) tonight, and lo and behold, they were showing the SmartLink Card at the WTC station.

I was there today, too, and purchased (and tested) a SmartLink card. The various PATH employees there didn't have answers to a number of questions I had, so I suppose I'll contact [email protected].

I asked:

1. How do I prevent the card from being used if for some reason I don't want to pay using it (for example, if I have fares left on a QuickCard or money on a MetroCard)? They said, "Keep it at least a foot away from the reader", and "you can put it in a metal holder or an anti-static bag like an EZ-Pass". At wallet-pocket height, keeping it a foot away from the reader could involve a bit of a dance. It turns out there's a delay before the card is read and the fare deducted, presumably to filter out "just passing by" fare deductions. I think it is about the same time the turnstile takes to read the older fare cards.
2. Can one card be used by more than one person at a time, like the other cards? They didn't know, either the technical answer or the policy answer. "Personalized" (photo and name on the back) SmartLink cards are subject to confiscation and forfeiture of used by someone else, per the terms & conditions, but since there's no apparent way to get one of those cards aside from the Senior Citizen program, I'm not sure. I'll try using the card for two people next week.
3. Expiration dates? I gave up on QuickCards once they stopped replacing expired ones (when they went to MetroCards). They said the card is good for four years. The terms and conditions state that if a card has "not been used within the PATH system" for 24 months, they have no obligation to transfer trips to a new card (this is in the section on replacement cards).

[ascotell]

I have had a card for about 3 months now. I sat on the Path advisory committee and the they gave them to us.

To answer your questions the card is not that sensitive you have to hit the turnstile to make the card aquatically read. IT sometimes has trouble reading thought yo wallet so you are fine no need to worry.

Yes the card may be used by more than one person. It is just like the quick card in this sense. you might have a limit similar to a metro card of 4 swipes. But you can use it for 2 people. Just make sure you swipe them in first.

I think what they mean is that it expires or goes inactive after 4 year of non use. There is no trip expiration like the quick card or metro cards.

Hope this helps

Anthony

[arrow]

I've also had the card since last October. The card is not sensitive, you need to actually touch it to the reader for it to work. You can leave it in your wallet though, I've never had a problem with it. If the little red light on the reader is lit that means the reader is not working and you should go to another turnstile.

When you refill the card at the MVM, it will tell you the expiration date on the screen but it's some extremely far date, like 10 or more years. Next time I refill I'll check the date.

[blasito]

plus a $5 card fee

huh??


Is this the standard policy for other transit systems that use smart card technology?

or is this just another brilliant move by the PA to cover investment costs with the riders $$?

[andy]

What I find odd is the $5 replacement fee is charged for damaged cards as well. I can understand charging for lost/stolen cards, but damaged cards?

How hard would these things be to damage anyway? I would guess that it wouldn't be unheard of to do. I think I'll keep using the QuickCards for now (from the NJT machines) - which I assume they will keep using for quite some time?

[Allan]

What I find odd is the $5 replacement fee is charged for damaged cards as well. I can understand charging for lost/stolen cards, but damaged cards?

How hard would these things be to damage anyway? I would guess that it wouldn't be unheard of to do. I think I'll keep using the QuickCards for now (from the NJT machines) - which I assume they will keep using for quite some time?

Don't be surprised if someone tried to insert (forcebly) the SmartLink card into the QuickCard/Metrocard slot. That could damage the card. Someone, for whatever reason, bends or cuts the card. Someone could drop it in the street and a truck (with snow chains) runs over it.

OK, on that last one I am really reaching but stranger things have happened.

As far as the QuickCards go, I think it will be reasonable to assume that once PATH does a full rollout to everyone (as far I know it is just at the WTC station right now), it will be within a period of time afterward that sale of the QuickCard will stop and then a short time after that the cards won't be accepted in the turnstiles (although the MetroCard will continue to be accepted).

My guess - October 2007 or November 2007 for the end of sale of QuickCards at newsstands and other vendors - they would sell only the Smartlink card at that point. QuickCards would only be available in the NJ Transit vending machines. December 31, 2007 for the end of sale of the QuickCards in the NJ Transit vending machines. January 31, 2008 for the end of acceptence of the QuickCards in PATH turnstiles.

One question that still comes to mind - will they remove the cash acceptors on turnstiles and force people to buy a single ride card or a round trip MetroCard. There is an indication they might do it but what would a passenger do at 23rd St, 14th St, 9th St or Christopher if the MVMs aren't working at all, won't accept bills or won't dispense single ride cards.

[cpontani]

DC's Smart Ride is the same thing...$25 with $20 in fare value and $5 for the re-usable card.

If it needs to be a foot away to not read, and assuming the readers are near hip-level, what if you just hold it in your hand straight up in the air. that's about 3-4 feet from the reader, right?

[Allan]

plus a $5 card fee

huh??


Is this the standard policy for other transit systems that use smart card technology?

or is this just another brilliant move by the PA to cover investment costs with the riders $$?

That is a standard practice in the transit industry when it comes to smartcards. Consider it as an incentive for people not to lose the card.

It is already done in Chicago (CTA), Boston (MBTA), Washington, D.C. (WMATA), Atlanta (MARTA), and will be done in Philadephia (PATCO) once they roll out their Freedom card and San Francisco (BART) once they roll out the EZ Rider Card.

[Epsilon]

That is a standard practice in the transit industry when it comes to smartcards. Consider it as an incentive for people not to lose the card.

It is already done in Chicago (CTA), Boston (MBTA), Washington, D.C. (WMATA), Atlanta (MARTA), and will be done in Philadephia (PATCO) once they roll out their Freedom card and San Francisco (BART) once they roll out the EZ Rider Card.

The CharlieCard in Boston was given out free (no included value) from the beginning, and as far as I know is still free.

[Allan]

That is a standard practice in the transit industry when it comes to smartcards. Consider it as an incentive for people not to lose the card.

It is already done in Chicago (CTA), Boston (MBTA), Washington, D.C. (WMATA), Atlanta (MARTA), and will be done in Philadephia (PATCO) once they roll out their Freedom card and San Francisco (BART) once they roll out the EZ Rider Card.

The CharlieCard in Boston was given out free (no included value) from the beginning, and as far as I know is still free.

Yes, it was given out free as part of the roll-out . But now if you want to get one you have to pay at least $5. The only BIG difference is that the MBTA will apply the $5 to payment of fares. The other systems won't.

[Ike]

Being very budget-conscious, I'll probably keep buying QuickCards from NJT machines for a while. That $5 fee, just to save literally one or two seconds on each pass through a turnstile, is annoying -- although perhaps it will encourage people not to litter (as with the thousands of dead old MetroCards scattered across NYC) and to re-use them. But people don't litter with QuickCards anyway, since the turnstiles brilliantly eat them upon the final usage!

I talked to somebody at PATH several months ago who said the SmartLink would cost the same as the QuickCard -- no cost hikes at all. Clearly she was misinformed. Or obfuscating. But probably just misinformed.

I liked the QuickCard just fine (though it was better and faster and more reliable before they replaced all the reliable old turnstiles with the crappy new ones). This seems a bit unnecessary.

[Allan]

I talked to somebody at PATH several months ago who said the SmartLink would cost the same as the QuickCard — no cost hikes at all. Clearly, she was misinformed. Or obfuscating. But probably just misinformed.

She was not misinformed. She just didn't give the full explanation. Aside from the $5 fee for the card the fare structure is the same as the QuickCard. Putting $24 on a SmartLink card is the same as buying a 20-trip ($24) QuickCard). Remember you only have to buy the SmartLink Card once so the $5 is a one time charge (unless you have to buy another one for some reason).

Keep buying QuickCards if you want, but at some point (by the end of this year or early next year), they will be completely discontinued. So you might as well spend the $29 ($24 for twenty trips and the $5 card fee) the next time the cards go on sale. Sort of a pay them now or pay them later.

Just F Y I — I have had no problem with my SmartLink (been using it for two weeks). It is nice not to have to take that piece of paper of my card holder and slip it into the turnstile and then have to put it back in the card holder. That is a time savings too (it adds up).

[kdjohnson]

I am surprised no one mentioned it, but there is a big Smartlink card vending machine at Newark Penn station. It only is offering $20 cards.

KJ

[Allan]

I am surprised no one mentioned it, but there is a big Smartlink card vending machine at Newark Penn station. It only is offering $20 cards.

KJ

They installed one of those at every Terminal (Newark, Journal Sq, WTC, Hoboken and 33rd St).

Quite frankly PATH isn't doing a very good job at publicizing the SmartLink card. Aside from a periodic screen on the PATHVision screens in each station and a single poster near the new machines you see no mention at all. You would think by now they would have posters in each car and on station walls. Most people are focusing on the turnstiles so don't even notice the machines.

The $20 gets you 11 rides ($15.00) and the card ($5.00 purchase fee).

That $5 will add $.45 per trip ($5.00 / 11 trips) making the first 11 trips on that card cost $1.81 ($20 / 11 trips) . After that anyone refilling the card with 11 trips ($15) will have a cost of $1.36 per trip (as with the QuickCard). If they refill with 20 ($24) or 40 trips ($48) then it will only cost them $1.20 per trip (as with the QuickCard).

PATH did this on purpose - not so much for the "extra" cost but because if they tried to have a machine selling the 20 trip card ($24 +$5 = $29), then they would have to make the machine give change or handle a lot of different demonination bills). They wanted to limit it to either $10 or $20 bills and no change even though the machine has that capability.

If people can hold out a bit longer before buying the card, it is sure to be available in the $29 version at newstands and other places that sell the QuickCard (and eventually online). $29 works out better - $29 / 20 trips- $1.45 per trip for the initial 20 trips.

One possibility though - If they buy the 11 trip card @ $20 and then immediately fill it with 20 trips for a total of 31 the cost works out better $20+$24 = $44 / 31 trips comes to $1.41 per trip for the 31 trips on the card. This will leave one trip left over sort of causing a minor "imbalance" when most people like to keep the amount of rides even. The PVMs (PATH Vending machines) can add 1 ride to the card @ $1.50.

If they only put another 11 trips immediately on the card for a total of 22 it still works out better but not as good as adding 20 trips. $20 + $15 = $35 / 22 trips comes to $1.59 per trip for the 22 trips on the card.

But how many people are actually going to do all this math (as simple as it is) ahead of time?