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Opinion: The Metro - Nice Trains, Lousy Ticket Machines

The Metro is coming to Monrovia soon, so to get a preview my wife and I decided to take the Metro into LA and have lunch at Phillipe's, so we got on at the Sierra Madre Villa station. I love trains and this one was clean and nice and the ride was pleasant, but the automatic ticket machine was - in my grandmother's colorful vocabulary - a disgrace to the hooty owls. It is the most baffling, confusing, frustrating ticket machine I have EVER had the misfortune to encounter. Even multi-language ticket machines in Europe are a breeze to use in comparison. And while we stood there confounded three other people expressed their confusion as well. And the five of us were the only ones there! 100% confusion.

So, can you Metro people please find some decent ticket machines before you install them in the Monrovia station?

- Brad Haugaard

3 comments:

  1. We went to Olvera Street yesterday via the Metro. I didn't know about the new TAP cards and was a little confused too. But, now that I've done it once, I think it will be easier next time. :-)

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  2. I so agree. I consider myself a tech savvy person but every time I use the ticket machine I have to slow down and consider the options to make sure I am getting what I want. The terminology between the different types of fares is confusing especially for first timers. I imagine as it comes out to Monrovia and we ride more often it will become second nature.

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  3. I agree too.
    I have taken the Gold Line once a month since it opened to China Town, Union Station, J Town etc. Have not driven to LA since. But those ticket machines are still a little confusing even to this veteran! Use it a couple of times and it gets better but you still have to stare at it and figure out what you want. I see others trying to struggle through it too.
    But it's sure nice to travel without the worry of traffic and parking.

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