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Farebox questions


Joel Up Front

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When I sit on the operator's side of a bus close to the operator's seat, I get a good view of the farebox. If I look at it a certain angle, I can see two buttons, and when people pay with several coins (most likely dimes and nickels...) operators furiously press the lower button.

 

-What do those buttons (those two buttons, not the ones near the top of the box/screen) do?

 

-What about the light I see when people drop their coins into the farebox?

 

-Why do operators press a button on the number pad near the top of the box if someone dips an empty MetroCard into the slot?

 

-Do fareboxes automatically drop coins into the lower portion of the box itself after a while or do operators have to press a button to tell the box to do it?

 

I don't like having coins. They're noisy, annoying to hold, and one time I almost clogged the coin slot and made the operator so occupied with getting them all in, I forgot to ask for a transfer and when I got off, I had to walk 3 miles to get home... of course, now I refill the card whenever it has less than $5 left.

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-What do those buttons (those two buttons, not the ones near the top of the box/screen) do?

 

The 'F' keys all have different functions. I know that one of them unlocks the Metrocard slot, dumps the coins and one other distributes transfers. Near the bottom of the farebox, there's a guide ow what everything does on the farebox.

 

-What about the light I see when people drop their coins into the farebox?

 

It's really just a backlight to see which coins are inserted and what not.

 

-Why do operators press a button on the number pad near the top of the box if someone dips an empty MetroCard into the slot?

 

So that the slot can be unlocked.

 

-Do fareboxes automatically drop coins into the lower portion of the box itself after a while or do operators have to press a button to tell the box to do it?

 

They do it automatically or the driver can do it manually via the button.

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I know bus operators will hit one F key if an elderly/disabled person gets on and asks for a transfer.

 

Those two buttons in the OP are the ones next to that backlight...

 

There's 6 buttons (F1-F6) and they do different things...

 

F1: gives transfer

F2: disabled/senior citizen fare

F3: (MTA) worker pass

F4: student half fare

F5: I forgot what that does

F6: dump coins

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There's 6 buttons (F1-F6) and they do different things...

 

F1: gives transfer

F2: disabled/senior citizen fare

F3: (MTA) worker pass

F4: student half fare

F5: I forgot what that does

F6: dump coins

 

some are correct some are not.

F1 & F2 are correct, F3 is used when flagging a stop(full bus), F4 is correct

F5 is Fare beat/short drop F6 is correct

ill make a video of the farebox in operations tomorrow along with some pics for the bus operator POV

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some are correct some are not.

F1 & F2 are correct, F3 is used when flagging a stop(full bus), F4 is correct

F5 is Fare beat/short drop F6 is correct

ill make a video of the farebox in operations tomorrow along with some pics for the bus operator POV

 

Ooooooo ok...I had a feeling I had a few mixed up

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When I sit on the operator's side of a bus close to the operator's seat, I get a good view of the farebox. If I look at it a certain angle, I can see two buttons, and when people pay with several coins (most likely dimes and nickels...) operators furiously press the lower button.

 

-What do those buttons (those two buttons, not the ones near the top of the box/screen) do? I know F6 is dump

-What about the light I see when people drop their coins into the farebox? The green light is when $2.25 is deposited. It makes a high-pitched sound

 

 

-Why do operators press a button on the number pad near the top of the box if someone dips an empty MetroCard into the slot? To clear the metrocard slot

 

 

-Do fareboxes automatically drop coins into the lower portion of the box itself after a while or do operators have to press a button to tell the box to do it? it automatically drops after $2.25 is deposited

 

 

I don't like having coins. They're noisy, annoying to hold, and one time I almost clogged the coin slot and made the operator so occupied with getting them all in, I forgot to ask for a transfer and when I got off, I had to walk 3 miles to get home... of course, now I refill the card whenever it has less than $5 left.

Replies in red

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Whats Short drop? Paying metro-card and coins?

 

some are correct some are not.

F1 & F2 are correct, F3 is used when flagging a stop(full bus), F4 is correct

F5 is Fare beat/short drop F6 is correct

ill make a video of the farebox in operations tomorrow along with some pics for the bus operator POV

 

Flagging a stop as in disabling Stop Request?

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You have to go through all that(8 characters) just to display

a Next Bus Please sign.

 

Yes, because the signs read off the farebox. If you simply punch it into the Luminator control, it will eventually change back to what's on the farebox. Hence when drivers sign in/off the farebox, the signs change appropriately.

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  • 1 year later...

Yes.

 

 

 

Out of curiosity, what's bypass mode?

 

 

Bypass is when there is either a coin jam or when the box is nearing it's capacity of coins...Once it's full then you would get the infamous "Probe Needed" message...call console and they tell you..."let the customers ride and write the defect on the OVCR card" lol.

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Holy necroposting, Batman!

 

Also, does the farebox "remember" who does and doesn't pay? Like say I get on with only $1.00 on my MC. A guy behind me pays with enough on his card and I come back with $1.25 in coins. I drop it in and it beeps to tell me I put the right amount of money in... I refill my card or have another one ready but I remember doing this a lot when I made the thread in 2010.

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Bypass is when there is either a coin jam or when the box is nearing it's capacity of coins...Once it's full then you would get the infamous "Probe Needed" message...call console and they tell you..."let the customers ride and write the defect on the OVCR card" lol.

 

Yeah, but that depends how long you'll be out there with that bus.

 

That happened about 2 weeks before the summer pick ended, on my Sunday run.

I kept my bus for swing, and the duration of it, the bus shuts completely off after 15-20 minutes (ie. farebox cuts off, and everything else except the fire panel and radio).. So after turning the bus back on an hour later, and driving to my starting point, I realize I couldn't sign into the farebox properly, thus the infamous "probe needed" message.. Now I didn't wanna call the yard and give him the headache of deciding what I should do, so I call up Command, and right before she tells me to let the passengers ride free, she asked what time do I clear (this was around 9:25pm), which was 1:53am, then asked me if I was coming off swing, and told her yes... She told me to bring the bus back to the yard and swap out. Basically it depends on the situation, and being I still had 2 rounds left, and sorta near the depot, she told me to pull it in and write it up.

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Holy necroposting, Batman!

 

Also, does the farebox "remember" who does and doesn't pay? Like say I get on with only $1.00 on my MC. A guy behind me pays with enough on his card and I come back with $1.25 in coins. I drop it in and it beeps to tell me I put the right amount of money in... I refill my card or have another one ready but I remember doing this a lot when I made the thread in 2010.

 

No, the fare box can only preform one transaction at a time. The Bus Operator will remember how much you have paid. In that situation i just wave the customer on.

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Yeah, but that depends how long you'll be out there with that bus.

 

That happened about 2 weeks before the summer pick ended, on my Sunday run.

I kept my bus for swing, and the duration of it, the bus shuts completely off after 15-20 minutes (ie. farebox cuts off, and everything else except the fire panel and radio).. So after turning the bus back on an hour later, and driving to my starting point, I realize I couldn't sign into the farebox properly, thus the infamous "probe needed" message.. Now I didn't wanna call the yard and give him the headache of deciding what I should do, so I call up Command, and right before she tells me to let the passengers ride free, she asked what time do I clear (this was around 9:25pm), which was 1:53am, then asked me if I was coming off swing, and told her yes... She told me to bring the bus back to the yard and swap out. Basically it depends on the situation, and being I still had 2 rounds left, and sorta near the depot, she told me to pull it in and write it up.

 

 

There is a bulletin that out there that says that a bus can not operate in service with out a working fare box. If there is a defect it must be corrected with in one round trip. This went into effect when J Walder come in to ensure we were collecting as much revenue as possible. This is also why we print out a transfer upon pull out.

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