ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[ZEBuilder]

The region will have workers checking every ION fare machine to make sure it's working properly after many reports from riders of problems with the system.

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If the fare machines aren't working, Zinck suggested riders could have also have an alternate method of payment, such as cash if the debit or credit card machine doesn't work. He also noted people can load fare cards online, although there is a bit of lag time between doing that and the money showing up on the card.

Would it have been that hard to have the fare inspectors - as they sit at the station waiting for the next train - to get into the habit of taping some sort of testing card to determine whether a station was having issues?

the other day somebody was trying to pay for a ticket with there credit card and the machine refused to accept it and they then went onto rant to customer service about it using some vulgar language from what he said he was telling them he didn't have cash or coins because technology is so much better. in my opinion yes it is better in many ways but how do people not carry 10 or 20 bucks on them just in case of a emergency. what would happen if a big credit card company like visa or master cards computer system were to crash how would you do anything.

the fare inspectors sit at the same station for at least two trains after they get off the train being rude and obnoxious to people. it would make sense for the region to add something like this to the fare inspectors job but i would think they would have to write something like this into there contract because by my experiences with them they don't seem to be the nicest of people or the kind of people who would take initiative. the region at least could have a person test each one everyday during the first and last trains just to check stuff like this( maintenance staff).