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NICE to Become One of First U.S. Bus Transit Systems To Offer Mobile Ticketing

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in Nassau Inter-County Express

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Amtrak7

Amtrak7

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The NICE minutes talk a bit about the ticket design and security:

 

-Visual tickets to begin with

-Color changes daily

-4 letter word scrolling at bottom changes daily

-Tap for NICE logo

-Supervision will have a barcode scanner

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Burrstone

Burrstone

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Downloaded the app, signed up, bought $50 in tickets. Easy so far.

 

I ride NICE home from the station every day now, so lets see how using it goes tomorrow...

Lemme know how it works, I plan on using it tomorrow. This (hopefully) will be a lot easier than getting my quarters together in a rush or wondering how much money I have on a metrocard that I can't fill anywhere near me.

They should offer a discount to entice people to use the app, anyone not needing the metrocard to transfer will not put unneeded money into the (MTA) .

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Burrstone

Burrstone

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Just went to download the app and it's not available for iphone yet. :(

 

I'm a little disappointed that according to the pictures showing how to use the app the mobile app is $2.75... I'll still use it because it's easier but $0.50 more than the cash fare and $0.25 more than the metrocard fare? Why? I understand the $0.25 extra for a metrocard because NICE must pay the (MTA) and with the cash and metrocard option NICE must maintain the pain in the ass farebox....

 

Also, how do transfers work? Can you transfer between NICE buses? The FAQ's say if you are transferring to the (MTA) , SCT, HART you MUST use the cash option. That urks me. The passenger is already paying $.50 more, why not just print a transfer for him/her? Why are they trying to lose $0.50 and make the passenger go back to the more inconvenient metrocard or exact change method?

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Burrstone

Burrstone

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Why is the cash fare lower your only fooling people into thinking they are saving $$$.

 

I don't think they're trying to fool anyone just trying to rip people off OR they have extensive costs for this mobile App, but still why not print a transfer for a passenger instead of making it less convenient for them and lose money for the system?

 

For those who have the android app, is a single fare $2.75 or lower?

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Burrstone

Burrstone

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Its even cheaper when you use a MetroCard and get more discounts when transferring to NYC bus and Subways, since majority of the riders are using MetroCards.

 

Exactly.

 

I might use it once to try but now use a metrocard from now on just to spite NICE for this BS move.

 

Considering this is the first of the kind in the Country I say we protest this by not using the app, not getting ripped off for chosing to use technology and save NICE money (over the metrocard).  I bet that'll make the news...

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Amtrak7

Amtrak7

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$50 for 21 rides is the same effective price per ride as pay-per-ride MetroCard. $2.75 is only charged for a single fare, the others use $2.50.

 

NICE will be raising the cash fare to $2.50 later this year. Hearings next month.

 

Not being available on the App Store is because of Apple's review process.
 

Lemme know how it works, I plan on using it tomorrow. This (hopefully) will be a lot easier than getting my quarters together in a rush or wondering how much money I have on a metrocard that I can't fill anywhere near me.
They should offer a discount to entice people to use the app, anyone not needing the metrocard to transfer will not put unneeded money into the (MTA) .


The app worked well and was easy to use, one loophole I found was that you are no longer limited to two transfers between connecting routes, you've essentially bought yourself a pass for 2.25 hours of unlimited rides across the system, even if you (pay for and) take an LIRR ride in between.

On the other hand, the bus didn't show up and I had to wait for the next one...thankfully there were very few passengers.

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qjtransitmaster

qjtransitmaster

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$50 for 21 rides is the same effective price per ride as pay-per-ride MetroCard. $2.75 is only charged for a single fare, the others use $2.50.

 

NICE will be raising the cash fare to $2.50 later this year. Hearings next month.

 

Not being available on the App Store is because of Apple's review process.

 

The app worked well and was easy to use, one loophole I found was that you are no longer limited to two transfers between connecting routes, you've essentially bought yourself a pass for 2.25 hours of unlimited rides across the system, even if you (pay for and) take an LIRR ride in between.

 

On the other hand, the bus didn't show up and I had to wait for the next one...thankfully there were very few passengers.

Ohh that is cheaper than cash and PPR metrocard for intracounty riders.

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Theorem Ox

Theorem Ox

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Nassau Bus' online payment system is clearly more of a novelty at this point aiming at a small niche of their ridership and truth be told, I don't think it'll ultimately progress much further than that. If it's any omen - they're certainly not providing all that much incentive for general rider buy-in during its inauguration period.

 

If past performance is any good at predicting the future, Nassau County and Veolia will probably be sticking to this one long past its expiration date.

 

$50 for 21 rides is the same effective price per ride as pay-per-ride MetroCard. $2.75 is only charged for a single fare, the others use $2.50.

 

NICE will be raising the cash fare to $2.50 later this year. Hearings next month.

 

Not being available on the App Store is because of Apple's review process.
 


The app worked well and was easy to use, one loophole I found was that you are no longer limited to two transfers between connecting routes, you've essentially bought yourself a pass for 2.25 hours of unlimited rides across the system, even if you (pay for and) take an LIRR ride in between.

On the other hand, the bus didn't show up and I had to wait for the next one...thankfully there were very few passengers.

 

Just opining here: 

 

$50 is quite a large upfront pre-payment to get the effective Metrocard PPR price.

 

One can get the same effective price per ride for as low as $9.52 in stores or $11.90 at the booth / MVMs. (Plus any cash back rewards one can get on top as part of a credit card transaction if planned and acted on strategically).

 

The cash fare may be likely to go up later this year, but at the moment, it is still cheaper and about as equally functional at $2.25 (actually more useful if you end up transferring to an MTA operated bus in Queens immediately afterwards).

 

---

 

Regarding 2.25 hours of unlimited rides - Two line of thoughts for this:

 

(1) Cash rider have the general advantage here again. The clock gets renewed every time a transfer is issued. Nothing really there to stop passengers from requesting more than two transfers on a single fare if they can get the routing and timing to work for them.

 

(2) How many NICE buses can you realistically ride in 2.25 hours at the end of the day? Most of Nassau's routes run infrequently. When they do run more frequently during rush hours, they're often overcrowded and skipping stops anyway. Though I would imagine it may be useful if you're making stops at several neighborhoods down Hempstead Turnpike and vicinity.

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Amtrak7

Amtrak7

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Well I took my second ride on it today. I showed it to the driver, ensured he had a clear view of me, and then walked on. He stopped me, held my hand with the phone, and carefully inspected the screen before letting me on.

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Burrstone

Burrstone

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Well I took my second ride on it today. I showed it to the driver, ensured he had a clear view of me, and then walked on. He stopped me, held my hand with the phone, and carefully inspected the screen before letting me on.

 

I had the opposite response,driver barley glanced at it, proceeded to check his mirrors and pull into traffic I asked if I was good and he replied "you're good man..."  lol  

 

 

I don't think the bus driver is allowed to touch you.

 

I agree.  I did wonder how easy it would be for an older driver to see such a small screen, especially us iphone uses, we're not using a tablet sized phone known as a droid. (I joke I joke I kid I kid). Maybe I'll be "that douche" that uses the app on his phone.

 

 

(2) How many NICE buses can you realistically ride in 2.25 hours at the end of the day? 

 

That depends on whether you're name is Yuki or not. lmao j/k

 

 

The iPhone app is now live on the app store: http://bit.ly/1pa55BG

 

10364087_786069621424742_171289976874580

 

WTF is that?  An extra driver on the bus showing them how to scan their ticket?

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FamousNYLover

FamousNYLover

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Extra driver is mostly helping new drivers on passenger service.

1. Old driver (MTA days) on bus seat teaching new driver who is standing up. (It happened on n16 trip once).

2. Old driver (MTA days) standing is teaching new driver who is driving. (It happened on n6X once.)

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Burrstone

Burrstone

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Extra driver is mostly helping new drivers on passenger service.

1. Old driver (MTA days) on bus seat teaching new driver who is standing up. (It happened on n16 trip once).

2. Old driver (MTA days) standing is teaching new driver who is driving. (It happened on n6X once.)

Are you sure the person standing in the picture is training? If you look he is wearing a plain white shirt and black jeans, there seems to be no Veolia/NICE logo's on his shirt.... I was trying to figure out if he was a trainer, an extra trainer or driver to help show people how to use the scanner so the driver isn't distracted, or if people were hired from an employment agency to help show people how to use the scanner so the driver isn't distracted.

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FamousNYLover

FamousNYLover

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Are you sure the person standing in the picture is training? If you look he is wearing a plain white shirt and black jeans, there seems to be no Veolia/NICE logo's on his shirt.... I was trying to figure out if he was a trainer, an extra trainer or driver to help show people how to use the scanner so the driver isn't distracted, or if people were hired from an employment agency to help show people how to use the scanner so the driver isn't distracted.

Maybe you could be right also.

Even during MTA days, I saw new driver made mistake in Levitowntown village on n73 route when old driver was helping him.

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User

User

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I wanted to wait until somebody answered the question wrong.

 

WTF is that?  An extra driver on the bus showing them how to scan their ticket?

 

 

Are you sure the person standing in the picture is training? If you look he is wearing a plain white shirt and black jeans, there seems to be no Veolia/NICE logo's on his shirt.... I was trying to figure out if he was a trainer, an extra trainer or driver to help show people how to use the scanner so the driver isn't distracted, or if people were hired from an employment agency to help show people how to use the scanner so the driver isn't distracted.

 

 

It's not a driver, its a NICE dispatcher. The dispatchers were trained by Masabi reps to use the equipment and how to troubleshoot any issues so they could help drivers and pass on the training. Masabi reps are here and there on NICE property and buses, but for the most part, their beta with NICE is over.They also don't have the time to train 800 drivers, but NICE dispatchers have the time and its their job to work with these drivers. Once the scanners are fully working and drivers are comfortable with them, they're going to be installed on more and more buses.

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