As the nation’s economic plunge continues, more people will be forced to use public transit. Luckily for many Baltimoreans it is an option.
I use the Metro or the light rail to go downtown whenever that is convenient. I prefer the Metro because stations in my area in Northwest Baltimore offer plenty of free and safe parking. Also, the Metro seems to be quicker, not only because it runs underground, but also because trains seem to be more frequent.
I have never felt any danger on public transit, but I have witnessed much bizarre behavior. But, then, the MTA’s transit operation can be bizarre. Take ticketing.
When Artscape was held in July, none of the ticket machines at MTA’s Mount Washington light-rail station were working, just as in past years. Incredible but true.
My wife and I joined dozens of other scofflaws and rode without tickets. An MTA ticket inspector was present but had given up. She was on the job, though.
When she overheard me telling my wife that the first thing I wanted to do at Mount Royal was to buy the return tickets, she advised, “You may not want to do that, sir. One-way tickets are only good for one hour.”
Thank you, ma’am.
I have seen more evidence of the MTA’s ticketing confusion now that I have grown old enough to qualify for a discounted senior citizen fare. It’s a great deal — one-third of the regular ticket price on an unlimited-use day pass.
It’s such a good deal that so many ineligible people bought senior citizen tickets that the ticket machines at subway stations no longer sell them. You can buy them only from real-life ticket agents. Recently, my wife and I had to wait at the Rodgers Avenue Metro station for several minutes because the agent was, presumably, taking nature’s call.
To buy a ticket, the exact amount is needed, because agents do not have change. Also needed is proof of age. Your driver’s license is not recognized as proof, although banks routinely accept it and although the issuer is the Motor Vehicle Administration, which is under the same bureaucratic umbrella as the MTA.
However, ticket machines at the MTA light-rail stops keep spouting senior citizen tickets without any documentation. Are light-rail riders more honest than subway patrons?
Much of the ticketing confusion should be alleviated at some undisclosed date in the not-too-distant future, when the MTA inaugurates smart cards. Already in use in the Washington metropolitan area’s transit system, those reloadable debit cards need only to be swept at the machines.
The smart card technology will link the Baltimore region more tightly with Washington. The reason: The two system’s cards are interchangeable and can be used by riders in either city.
European transit systems have been employing smart card technology for decades. Why it has taken so long to reach Baltimore is anyone’s guess. But they will soon be here to the delight of people trying to figure out how our system works.
Old-timers remember the time before World War II, when Baltimore had one fine public transit system. On some lines streetcars ran at two-minute intervals during the rush hour and every seven minutes at other times, according to Martin Van Horn, who studies such things. Those days will never return.
Baltimore’s current MTA transit operation is not that bad. Many of the MTA system’s shortcomings, in fact, are results of white middle-class riders having largely abandoned public transit.
If they begin to return in numbers, they could improve the MTA’s service. They should complain about everything. Nag about delayed buses and trains. Call the cops if they encounter antisocial behavior. They should keep the MTA on its toes. That would be good for everyone.
Antero Pietila is writing a book about how bigotry shaped Baltimore between 1910 and 1975. His e-mail address is [email protected].
