08-31-2016, 11:48 PM
I think for the top-up machines it's actually a mix of upside and downside for low-income users.
The downside is of course that those which must use cash can only top-up at a top-up machine, which is probably in fewer locations than the number that currently sell bus tickets.
However, I remember reading that one of the highest users of cash fares are low income riders who cannot afford the up-front expense of an entire strip of tickets to access the reduced per-ride rate. As automated top-up machines generally have no minimum top-up for cash, a rider who's received a multi-use card from a social assistance agency now has access to ticket-like reduced fares, while not having to commit the full price of a strip of tickets. This of course depends on there being adequate reload machines, but with them being located at every ION station and major transfer point it will apply to a lot of riders.
The downside is of course that those which must use cash can only top-up at a top-up machine, which is probably in fewer locations than the number that currently sell bus tickets.
However, I remember reading that one of the highest users of cash fares are low income riders who cannot afford the up-front expense of an entire strip of tickets to access the reduced per-ride rate. As automated top-up machines generally have no minimum top-up for cash, a rider who's received a multi-use card from a social assistance agency now has access to ticket-like reduced fares, while not having to commit the full price of a strip of tickets. This of course depends on there being adequate reload machines, but with them being located at every ION station and major transfer point it will apply to a lot of riders.