COMPARISON OF FARE COLLECTION METHODS FOR LRT

Fare collection is an important aspect in the design of a light rail system because it has a greater impact on both capital and operating costs than on a conventional rapid transit system, where these costs can be distributed over larger passenger volumes. The aim in designing the LRT fare system is to (a) minimize the collection cost per passenger; (b) be compatible with the existing transit fare system (assumed to be typical exact cash fares, with or without passes); (c) permit transfers between modes without necessitating changes to bus collection or requiring machinery on buses; (d) be flexible to accommodate any future fare changes, including the introduction of zone or graduated fares, the use of passes (flash cards), other prepurchased measures such as carnets (multi-ride tickets), strip tickets, tokens, or single tickets; various forms of concession fares; and time-variable fares, such as reduced off-peak fares; and (e) permit the use of low-cost LRT stations.