Caltrain is asking riders for feedback on the agency's ticket vending machines.
Riders are being asked to participate in an online survey to help determine the most desirable features for new machines, the agency announced Friday.
The survey is the first step in a process to replace the existing machines, which went into service in 2000, according to Caltrain.
Some of the advanced features under consideration include the ability to load Clipper cards and give change to customers in paper bills instead of coins.
After identifying the desirable features for new machines, the next step will be to develop a funding plan.
At the same, Caltrain will investigate mobile ticketing, which would allow riders to purchase tickets on their mobile devices.
The new ticket vending machines are expected to be in service sometime in 2015 or 2016.
There are 104 ticket vending machines in 31 Caltrain stations. The machines sell One-way, Day Pass, Zone upgrades for Monthly passes and parking permits. All the machines accept coins, bills, and certain credit cards.
Caltrain also is able to program the machines for riders to pre-purchase tickets for special events or set up “quick buy” buttons that make purchasing a ticket easier for new riders.
In 2003, Caltrain introduced a Proof-of-Payment system. POP, which is also used by other Bay Area transit systems, requires all passengers to buy a ticket before they board the train.
Caltrain riders began using Clipper, the Bay Area’s reloadable fare card, in 2010 and the following year, Caltrain eliminated paper Monthly passes and 8-ride tickets.
For more information about Caltrain schedule and fares, call 1.800.660.4287 (TTY 650.508.6448) or visit www.caltrain.com.
i'm sure this is the future - and other cities are already doing it. but the reality is that caltrain has a huge bureaucracy and we will probably get machines that only accept wooden nickles that have a crank on the side, with an installation date of 2023 ;-))