Post by mattapoisett on Jan 26, 2014 21:52:33 GMT -8
I'd like to crowd source a TAP Users Guide. I put together something which I consider a fairly complete. I send this to folks who interested in taking Metro et. al. It still seems like it could be made simpler and shorter while maintaining the amount of info conveyed. I'd like to hear suggestions.
Thanks in Advance.
The Metro TAP Card The Short and Sweet version:
Buy and put cash on the TAP card. That cash will work on all SoCal transit agencies that take TAP. Remember, some don’t yet.
The base fare is $1.50 each segment on Metro. A few express routes charge more. Municipal operators [Culver City Bus, DASH, etc] generally charge less.
TAP every time you change rail lines or buses. Even if you have a pass.
If you think you are going to use the Metro more than x number of times in a day [3], week [14] or month [50] get a pass. Metro Passes work on Metro Bus and Rail only, not on municipal lines [except for the uber monthly EZPass for $84] EZPass works on Metro and almost all municipal agencies. If you are in a position which you need to take an express bus or MetroLink on a regular basis, you may consider getting a EZpass with Zone Fare add-ons. If you don't have the pass to cover whole fare, on agencies which take TAP you can use cash value on the TAP Card to make up the difference.
If you transfer to or from non Metro buses, load or get a paper transfer for a reduced fare from the driver or the TVMs at the station before transferring. You should be able to use the value on the TAP to buy those transfers. However, a lot of the Metro Bus drivers haven’t been trained to deal with TAP to add passes and give out transfers using the cash stored on the TAP card. Sometimes you will have to roll with it.
Register the card at taptogo.net and if you lose your card, you can save the value on it. [Warning: site is archaic.]
You can set up pretax transit money through employers who support those programs which you can use to put fares and passes on the TAP card. Unfortunately Pre-tax Transit Credit Cards which are sometimes issued for those type of accounts are picky and the only place I've found they work is at Metro TVMs and at their Service Centers. The Service Centers are the only place that you can get an EZPass with the Pre Tax Credit Card. You can go to places like Culver City Town Hall, Culver City Bus Transit center or the big Blue Bus Store but you would have to use other forms of payment and be reimbursed from the pretax transit account.
That's all I know.
Thanks in Advance.
The Metro TAP Card The Short and Sweet version:
Buy and put cash on the TAP card. That cash will work on all SoCal transit agencies that take TAP. Remember, some don’t yet.
The base fare is $1.50 each segment on Metro. A few express routes charge more. Municipal operators [Culver City Bus, DASH, etc] generally charge less.
TAP every time you change rail lines or buses. Even if you have a pass.
If you think you are going to use the Metro more than x number of times in a day [3], week [14] or month [50] get a pass. Metro Passes work on Metro Bus and Rail only, not on municipal lines [except for the uber monthly EZPass for $84] EZPass works on Metro and almost all municipal agencies. If you are in a position which you need to take an express bus or MetroLink on a regular basis, you may consider getting a EZpass with Zone Fare add-ons. If you don't have the pass to cover whole fare, on agencies which take TAP you can use cash value on the TAP Card to make up the difference.
If you transfer to or from non Metro buses, load or get a paper transfer for a reduced fare from the driver or the TVMs at the station before transferring. You should be able to use the value on the TAP to buy those transfers. However, a lot of the Metro Bus drivers haven’t been trained to deal with TAP to add passes and give out transfers using the cash stored on the TAP card. Sometimes you will have to roll with it.
Register the card at taptogo.net and if you lose your card, you can save the value on it. [Warning: site is archaic.]
You can set up pretax transit money through employers who support those programs which you can use to put fares and passes on the TAP card. Unfortunately Pre-tax Transit Credit Cards which are sometimes issued for those type of accounts are picky and the only place I've found they work is at Metro TVMs and at their Service Centers. The Service Centers are the only place that you can get an EZPass with the Pre Tax Credit Card. You can go to places like Culver City Town Hall, Culver City Bus Transit center or the big Blue Bus Store but you would have to use other forms of payment and be reimbursed from the pretax transit account.
That's all I know.