InsideTransit

If you are interested in riding the Paris Metro subway system, here’s a listing of all of the current fares as of April 12, 2011. We’ve also created a how-to Paris Metro guide with more information about riding the system.
Read the rest of this entry »

The new NYC MTA Chairman, Jay H. Walder, is considering looking at off-peak pricing for public transportation in NYC.  The off-peak pricing is already in place in London where Walder formerly ran the system.

I can’t decide if I am a fan of off-peak pricing. While some I spoke with today believe it will increase usage which will make up for the lower price overall, I am not sure that more people will use the system. If you need to use transit, you do. If you don’t, you won’t. A 25 or 50 cent discount is not going ot make people run out and take transit when they have no reason to be going somewhere.

If they increased service on buses and trains on the weekend, then we would have something to talk about.

More on 1010Wins.

If you are planning to visit Tokyo and ride the subway there, below is a quick video on how to purchase a subway ticket. Some of the machines will allow you to switch to English but the machine is very easy to use. Just put in your bills (in Yen), select the price for the metro ticket you need and it will print below plus return any change.

Here are a couple videos that will help you with your purchase. Apparently if you select English, the machine announces that you have selected English.

StationStops first launched their iPhone app last October in the iPhone App Store. The app costs $1.99 and is a simple timetable for the Metro North RailRoad in NYC. You can easily find out what time the next train will be arriving at your station. It’s an easy way to maximize your time at a location because you will know exactly what the train schedule is for that station and you can adjust accordingly. The app also displays the fares for the specific train.

Creator Chris notes, “when I first started riding Metro-North, I was surprised at how awkward it was to get access to the schedule wherever you were at the time – which all too commonly was on a train, on the subway, or otherwise underground.”

What’s neat is that the schedules are downloaded to the iPhone so you don’t need to access the Internet to use the application.

London’s transport system offers several ticket options. The system works on “zones”. The main tourist attractions and the center of London are in Zones 1-2. So, except where noted, the pricing discussed below is for Zones 1-2.

(fares updated December 30, 2010 with early 2011 pricing information)

Cash Fares

• The most basic ticket – a “Cash Single Fare” is £4.00 for most of the network, £4.00 to Heathrow via tube. Approximately 90% of the time, this is not what you want.

Travelcards

• Travelcards – come in 1, 3 and 7 day options.
  • 1 day zone 1-2 travelcard: £8.00 peak, £6.60 off-peak
  • 3 day zone 1-2 travelcard: the 3 day card has been removed
  • 7 day zone 1-2 travelcard: £27.60 (there is no peak/offpeak)

Oyster Card

• Oyster Card – this is the newest form of “currency” for the London transport system.
  • From the TFL web site: Oyster is London’s travel smartcard. You can put your Travelcard or Bus Pass season ticket on it, add travel value (cash) to pay as you go or have a combination of both. Oyster cards are also reusable. This means that when your ticket expires you can buy another on the same Oyster card, and when your travel value (cash) runs out, you can just top it up.
  • The basic idea with Oyster is that you load up the card and you receive the best fares possible based on your trip. So for example, a “Single Fare” in cash is  £3.00 but could be free if you have already passed the limits for a day on the Oyster.
  • Oyster charges a £3.00 refundable deposit when initially charging and receiving the card. There is no fee if you only charge the Oyster with the 7 day travel card listed above.
  • Some of the benefits I see with pre-pay Oyster include:
    • easy to use and recharge
    • allows you to travel anywhere in the system and the computer handles how much to charge you for the trip
    • keep the card forever, each trip back to London you use the same card.

My personal preference is that you use an Oyster card for all of your trips. What’s great is that you can share it – so when you return to your home country, pass it along to a friend.