Of those who ride an LA Metro bus, 43% drop bills or coins into the fare box, ignoring the the transit agency’s preferred method of payment — a plastic, personal “TAP” card that must be pre-loaded with money.
In the Los Angeles County transit system, the percentage of riders who pay with cash is more than twice the national average, Metro reported.
But the use of cash can slow down boarding, thus delaying bus arrivals and departures. It can result in riders who do not have the full $1.75 fare and get the unpaid balance waived by the driver, according to Metro officials. And cash customers miss out on promotions only available on TAP, such as a free transfers, zero-fare programs or disabled/senior citizen discounts.
So Metro is launching an ad campaign on bus benches and on social media to get cash users to swap their bucks for a TAP card, which stands for Transit Access Pass.
The high percentage of bus riders who use cash makes Metro’s chance for a full reversal very slim.
About 70% of cash-reliant Metro riders are “unbanked,” meaning they do not have a checking account and therefore don’t have a credit or debit card, Metro reported. “The unbanked riders are more likely to get paid in cash, so they keep this cycle of using cash,” explained John Gordon, director of special projects for LA Metro.
“Loading more than a day’s fare (onto a TAP card) can be a financial burden,” Gordon reported. “About 62% we found would rather not load money because they might need it for something else.”
“One person who spoke to us said they want to keep their money liquid. They don’t want to lock it up for fare payment. Another person said, ‘It is easier for me just to grab cash.’ They are being logical on how they approach limited funds,” he said.
A Metro report on cash-paying bus riders also said they have trust issues: they don’t want to give their name or information to a government agency. And more than half said they didn’t…
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