Exit fare
Encyclopedia
An exit fare is a method of collecting ridership fees, or fare
, from a transportation system where the fee (or part of the fee) is collected from passengers upon reaching their destination.
Exit fares were used on the subway
lines of the early MBTA in Boston as a cost-cutting method to be able to collect increased fares without having to upgrade
fare collection equipment at station entrances. The perceived unfairness of this system (what to do with a passenger who can't pay the exit fare?) prompted Boston politician Walter A. O'Brien
to commission the protest song
"M.T.A.".
In New York City
, this system is used on the AirTrain at John F. Kennedy International Airport
. The system uses an exit fare to distinguish between intra-airport trips, which are free, and connections to the subway and commuter rail, which are not. Exit fares are also charged on the Staten Island Railway
at St. George Terminal and Tompkinsville Stations, because the primary function of the railway is to transport commuters on Staten Island to/from the Staten Island Ferry terminal at St. George. Commuters heading to Manhattan via the ferry pay upon exiting the train at St. George in the morning, and upon entry at St. George in the afternoon. Exit fares are charged at Tompkinsville because it is also within walking distance of the ferry terminal. Before exit fares were charged at Tompkinsville, one could avoid paying the exit fare at St. George by exiting at Tompkinsville and walking to the ferry terminal. By charging entry and exit fares at St. George and Tompkinsville, the other stations on the Staten Island Railway can be run at far lower cost, without any fare collection equipment or station employees present.
In Boston
, the last of the exit fares were eliminated on Dec. 4th, 2006 with the implemention of the CharlieCard
.
On the Washington Metro
, riders process their farecards for both entering and exiting the system. The fare is actually deducted from the rider's card upon exiting the system based on the time of day and distance traveled. Exitfare machines located near the faregates allow riders to add additional value to their farecard should their card lack sufficient value to exit the station at that location. Exitfare machines do not accept SmarTrip
.
Bay Area Rapid Transit
also uses a similar fare-collecting method, based on distance but not time of day. On BART, while ticket vendors outside the paid area accept credit and debit cards as well as cash, the Addfare machine, which one must use if his ticket has insufficient value to exit, accepts cash only. This leads transit employees to suggest that riders carrying only credit/debit cards call a friend to bring cash to the station for them so that they may be allowed to exit.
Metro Transit in King County, Washington
uses exit fares to implement a free ride zone in downtown
Seattle
. Riders going toward downtown (and on routes that do not enter downtown) pay on entry. Riders leaving downtown pay on exit. Riders traveling entirely within downtown do not pay at all. (Riders who ride through downtown need to get a free transfer to avoid being double-charged.) After 7 p.m., no free rides are provided downtown and all trips are charged a fare. The Port Authority of Allegheny County
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
has a similar system.
Many lower-volume point-to-point ticket
-based transit services use exit fares in one direction, to avoid the expense of maintaining ticket offices at both ends of the line.
Fare
A fare is the fee paid by a passenger allowing him or her to make use of a public transport system: rail, bus, taxi, etc. In the case of air transport, the term airfare is often used.-Uses:...
, from a transportation system where the fee (or part of the fee) is collected from passengers upon reaching their destination.
Exit fares were used on the subway
Rapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
lines of the early MBTA in Boston as a cost-cutting method to be able to collect increased fares without having to upgrade
Upgrade
The term upgrade refers to the replacement of a product with a newer version of the same product. It is most often used in computing and consumer electronics, generally meaning a replacement of hardware, software or firmware with a newer or better version, in order to bring the system up to date...
fare collection equipment at station entrances. The perceived unfairness of this system (what to do with a passenger who can't pay the exit fare?) prompted Boston politician Walter A. O'Brien
Walter A. O'Brien
Walter A. O'Brien, Jr. was a Progressive Party politician from Boston, Massachusetts, United States in the 1940s.In 1949 O'Brien ran for mayor of Boston...
to commission the protest song
Protest song
A protest song is a song which is associated with a movement for social change and hence part of the broader category of topical songs . It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre...
"M.T.A.".
In New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, this system is used on the AirTrain at John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
. The system uses an exit fare to distinguish between intra-airport trips, which are free, and connections to the subway and commuter rail, which are not. Exit fares are also charged on the Staten Island Railway
Staten Island Railway
The Staten Island Rapid Transit Operating Authority, publicly known as MTA Staten Island Railway or SIR, is the operator of the lone rapid transit line in the borough of Staten Island, New York City, USA...
at St. George Terminal and Tompkinsville Stations, because the primary function of the railway is to transport commuters on Staten Island to/from the Staten Island Ferry terminal at St. George. Commuters heading to Manhattan via the ferry pay upon exiting the train at St. George in the morning, and upon entry at St. George in the afternoon. Exit fares are charged at Tompkinsville because it is also within walking distance of the ferry terminal. Before exit fares were charged at Tompkinsville, one could avoid paying the exit fare at St. George by exiting at Tompkinsville and walking to the ferry terminal. By charging entry and exit fares at St. George and Tompkinsville, the other stations on the Staten Island Railway can be run at far lower cost, without any fare collection equipment or station employees present.
In Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, the last of the exit fares were eliminated on Dec. 4th, 2006 with the implemention of the CharlieCard
CharlieCard
The CharlieCard is a MIFARE-based, contactless, stored value smart card used for electronic ticketing as part of the Automated Fare Collection system installed by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority at its stations and on its vehicles...
.
On the Washington Metro
Washington Metro
The Washington Metro, commonly called Metro, and unofficially Metrorail, is the rapid transit system in Washington, D.C., United States, and its surrounding suburbs. It is administered by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority , which also operates Metrobus service under the Metro name...
, riders process their farecards for both entering and exiting the system. The fare is actually deducted from the rider's card upon exiting the system based on the time of day and distance traveled. Exitfare machines located near the faregates allow riders to add additional value to their farecard should their card lack sufficient value to exit the station at that location. Exitfare machines do not accept SmarTrip
SmarTrip
SmarTrip is a plastic contact-less stored-value smart card used for payment within the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority system in Washington, D.C...
.
Bay Area Rapid Transit
Bay Area Rapid Transit
Bay Area Rapid Transit is a rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area. The heavy-rail public transit and subway system connects San Francisco with cities in the East Bay and suburbs in northern San Mateo County. BART operates five lines on of track with 44 stations in four counties...
also uses a similar fare-collecting method, based on distance but not time of day. On BART, while ticket vendors outside the paid area accept credit and debit cards as well as cash, the Addfare machine, which one must use if his ticket has insufficient value to exit, accepts cash only. This leads transit employees to suggest that riders carrying only credit/debit cards call a friend to bring cash to the station for them so that they may be allowed to exit.
Metro Transit in King County, Washington
King County, Washington
King County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population in the 2010 census was 1,931,249. King is the most populous county in Washington, and the 14th most populous in the United States....
uses exit fares to implement a free ride zone in downtown
Downtown
Downtown is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's core or central business district ....
Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
. Riders going toward downtown (and on routes that do not enter downtown) pay on entry. Riders leaving downtown pay on exit. Riders traveling entirely within downtown do not pay at all. (Riders who ride through downtown need to get a free transfer to avoid being double-charged.) After 7 p.m., no free rides are provided downtown and all trips are charged a fare. The Port Authority of Allegheny County
Port Authority of Allegheny County
Port Authority of Allegheny County is the second-largest public transit agency in Pennsylvania and the 11th-largest in the United States. When considering that its service area is the 20th largest in the U.S...
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
has a similar system.
Many lower-volume point-to-point ticket
Ticket (admission)
A ticket is a voucher that indicates that one has paid for admission to an event or establishment such as a theatre, movie theater, amusement park, zoo, museum, concert, or other attraction, or permission to travel on a vehicle such as an airliner, train, bus, or boat, typically because one has...
-based transit services use exit fares in one direction, to avoid the expense of maintaining ticket offices at both ends of the line.