Fare-free transit generally doesn't work. MARTA is having that between select stations, temporarily, while they are installing new fare gates, but the loudest proponents are not rushing to ride the trains.
#faregates
Can we not do the creepy surveillance thing?
"Cubic officials said the equipment has cameras that record a five-second clip when someone goes through without paying, which then uses artificial intelligence to write a physical description of the suspected fare beater. The information is automatically sent to the MTA."
A lot of smart folks will look at a lot of data in the next few months to evaluate how they perform, but at a first glance they seem pretty good!
There’s an extra-wide faregate for folks using a wheelchair or pushing a stroller, but I didn’t get a chance to see how it would handle a parent walking with a small child.
I also didn’t see how well the gates would work for preventing tailgating
It would get better as people get used to them, but the second downside is that a lot of folks paused their stride to wait for the gates to open (particularly after tapping to pay)
/4
I saw two notable downsides, the first being that the edge lit glass and large columns made it a little hard to see if someone is trying to enter while you’re exiting.
If two people try to enter and exit at the same time, a horrifyingly loud alarm plays (didn’t get it on video, but I’m sure it’s tunable)
3/
The NYC Subway has pretty high throughput requirements, and these might actually be better than turnstiles for exiting. The gates open quickly, and the edge lighting helps make it obvious there’s a gate there
2/
While in NYC, I checked out the new faregates at Broadway/Lafayette. First things first, they look really cool! Definitely feels futuristic, especially in a 90 year old station.
But do they work? In short, seemingly yes! (mostly)
1/
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