We’ve all shuffled into the sardine cans of rush hour TRAX trains. We are familiar with the sights, the sounds and the smells. Now, consider all the passengers you’ve just spent the past 20 minutes uncomfortably close to, then imagine them all being required to use their riding pass to tap one of the two to four little fire hydrant-sized kiosks8212;each fixed with a small and amusingly uninformative display screen8212;with no order, no line and no choice. Sounds like fun to me.
The idea is that the statistics gathered with the new “Tap on/Tap Off” system will enable the Utah Transit Authority to make changes to route times and add more cars to busier trains. The only real problem facing UTA’s new system is the possible inconvenience it will cause riders. Plus, not everyone knows about the new requirement, and at least some who do are a little disturbed, or at least irritated, by the policy change.
“It’s as safe as using a credit or debit card anywhere else,” said UTA spokesperson Carrie Bohnsack-Ware. “We are only told what type of rider, points A and B of their entrance and exit, and what time they do it.”
Bohnsack-Ware later explained that up to this point, UTA has relied on educated guesses to know how to accommodate riders, as opposed to using information to make the system more reliable. Perhaps this was a smart move after all.
The easiest solution to the inconvenience is to learn to deal with it. While building a new habit of having rider cards handy at entrances and exits will take some time and be somewhat inconvenient, especially for those toting bikes, cooperation might provide some benefit in the future. For any student who has ever complained about crowded trains or a train car shortage, this could be the solution you’ve always wanted but never knew you did.
However, for those of you who want to stick it to the man anyway, go ahead, there are no monetary fines for students, really. Just be sure to only rebel less than three times in two weeks or else they will deactivate your card8212;something you can remedy by a visit to the Union.
Eric Evans