TAP Loads Cash From the Web

[mattapoisett]

I checked in on the TAP site tonight and was surprised to find changes there. Some of the extraneous non-functioning sections of the site have been removed and it was cleaned up a bit with even some of the former icon buttons removed and replaced with just text links.

But the big news is when you go the fare products page, it has a button for adding Stored Value. When you click on the button, it shows you the Balance of the card which is selected. You can add cash in denominations of $5, $10, $15, $20 $50 and $100. Select the value, click through and fill out the form, put in your Credit Card and viola!

It says the fare will be active via TVMs in 12 hours (you tap on the TVM to reconcile after that point) or it will migrate to the whole system within 36 hours. It did mention something about needing to reconcile it within 30 days, but I'm not sure if that only applies to passes or includes cash.

Also I didn't see a way to store credit card info, set up a future autoload or see transaction history but at least this is a very big step in the right direction.

www.taptogo.net/

Take care

- P.

[masonite]

Mar 29, 2011 20:47:54 GMT -8 mattapoisett said:

I checked in on the TAP site tonight and was surprised to find changes there. Some of the extraneous non-functioning sections of the site have been removed and it was cleaned up a bit with even some of the former icon buttons removed and replaced with just text links.

But the big news is when you go the fare products page, it has a button for adding Stored Value. When you click on the button, it shows you the Balance of the card which is selected. You can add cash in denominations of $5, $10, $15, $20 $50 and $100. Select the value, click through and fill out the form, put in your Credit Card and viola!

It says the fare will be active via TVMs in 12 hours (you tap on the TVM to reconcile after that point) or it will migrate to the whole system within 36 hours. It did mention something about needing to reconcile it within 30 days, but I'm not sure if that only applies to passes or includes cash.

Also I didn't see a way to store credit card info, set up a future autoload or see transaction history but at least this is a very big step in the right direction.

www.taptogo.net/

Take care

- P.

Slowly TAP is coming together. Def. not there yet, but as long as we have progress I can live with that. This is a pretty useful feature. My first contact with the Metro system is with a bus as I live no where near any rail lines (at least currently). It would be nice to have money already loaded on my card. Makes for faster boarding too.

[jeisenbe]

This is excellent. TAP is finally starting to work like a smart card.
I usually take LB Transit or my bike to transfer to the Blue Line, so paying for individual trips almost always makes sense. It will be nice to have the option to load up at home.

[mattapoisett]

One last note. The TAP card needs to be reconciled with the system after the money is loaded online. I went to a TVM in the Redondo Beach station tonight and by verifying the TAP card, it completed the autoload and added the $20 which I purchased last night from home on to the card.

It should do this from any validator but it takes longer to get out to the buses and such. If anyone tries it, I'd like to hear your experiences.

[James Fujita]

They say a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. This is just one big step in the right direction

I haven't tried loading cash online with TAP, but I had to validate the card when I added cash with San Francisco's TransLink (yes I own both a TAP and TransLink). So, I'm not surprised by that.

Autoload ought to be the next step. That works awesomely with TransLink. Maybe once they're sure that online cash works for TAP, they can add an autoload function.

If they do that, single ride purchases would be a snap, and passes would be a lot easier.

[bluelineshawn]

One thing to keep in mind with the loaded value is that you have to be careful and make sure that you always tap. For example when transferring between the blue and red lines there's just a single TAP podium and if you aren't on that side of the stairs you might miss it. With a pass (monthly, weekly, daily, etc) if you forget to TAP it really doesn't matter because your card will show that you're good to ride as much as you want anyway. The loaded value option makes it just a little easier to get a ticket if you forget to TAP or didn't realize that the TAP didn't go through.

[andop2]

I've had a Culver City TAP card for years with a cash purse. I just added $10 at a Green Line Station. I have a concern, though, maybe an unfounded one. I could load a Day Pass onto my card, and then I'm supposed to tap at the Green Line gate. How do I know the tap will recognize the Day Pass and instead deduct another fare from my card. Has anyone tried this? Are you sure it works properly? I was too chicken to try, and instead bought a paper Day Pass...

[mattapoisett]

Apr 5, 2011 14:37:58 GMT -8 andop2 said:

I've had a Culver City TAP card for years with a cash purse. I just added $10 at a Green Line Station. I have a concern, though, maybe an unfounded one. I could load a Day Pass onto my card, and then I'm supposed to tap at the Green Line gate. How do I know the tap will recognize the Day Pass and instead deduct another fare from my card. Has anyone tried this? Are you sure it works properly? I was too chicken to try, and instead bought a paper Day Pass...

This is one of the few things about TAP that actually works. You can load a day pass and tap all day and it will pull from the right source every time. You can also use the cash on the card to pay for day pass. it works great via the TVMs but it's a game of chance on whether the Bus driver you are working with knows how to set up their fare box to make the transaction happen.