Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County e-mail, 7/1/15:
Pilot Program Will Provide Free Transfers to Cash-Paying Riders
Today, METRO will begin a 90-day pilot program to provide paper transfers to cash-paying customers upon request. Presently, free transfers are only available to METRO Day Pass or Q Card users.
Paper transfers will be valid for connecting routes needed to complete a one-way trip or provide a connection to the fixed-route system. Transfers issued from the start of service through 11:59 a.m. are good until 3:00 p.m. on the same day. Transfers issued after 12:00 p.m. are good through the end of service the same day. Paper transfers issued on METRO buses may be used only once.
Rail riders needing to transfer may use their rail ticket, which is valid for 3 hours from time of purchase, to transfer from rail to a bus or another rail line.
Once finalized, the pilot program will weigh customer reaction and effectiveness to determine whether paper transfers will be available on a permanent basis.
The pilot program is scheduled to end September 30, 2015.
It seems to me that paper transfers are negative progress. It also appears that this policy encourages cash payments rather than usage of smart cards or day passes. This agency's policy says that one rail ticket is valid for 3 hours and allows transfers, so I can't imagine why one would want to pay cash aboard the vehicle, and in fact they should not allow it at all.
