Sunday, March 30, 2008
Fare Increases
As many of you know, Metrolink has proposed a 3.5-7.5% fare increase that would take effect in July 2008. Link to Ventura County Star Article: http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/mar/28/metrolink-likely-to-raise-fares-rising-costs/
The reasons that Metrolink gives include the escalating cost of diesel fuel, scheduled increases in costs for operating services contracts and new start-up costs related to the arrival of additional passenger cars in 2009. There is also a mention of "potential reductions in service" but there has been no additional details on what if any service reductions could take place.
I attended the Metrolink Board of Directors meeting on Friday March 27th. The discussion of the increase focused mainly on the increased fuel costs. The proposed fare increases would have been higher were it not for the planning of the Metrolink Board who purchased fuel in advance at previously negotiated prices (fuel hedging).
The board is also anticipating the arrival of new passenger cars in 2009 which will help alleviate the crowded situation on some current Metrolink lines.
Riding the train is a beneficial budget leveler for regular passengers. It is impossible to tell where unleaded gas prices will be come July 1, 2008, however last year the average Los Angeles gallon of unleaded cost $3.04. If we use today's average of $3.59/gallon in Los Angeles as a predictor of July's price, that is a 15.3% increase in one year. So Metrolink's proposed increase is at least less than what it would have cost you to get back into your car.
Its unfortunate however that increased fare revenue can only partially be returned in the form of better service. I'd gladly pay an increased ticket price in return for improved service such as and additional car on my train, expanded weekend services, on-board Wi-Fi, or other passenger perks.
What are your thoughts on the fare increases?
The reasons that Metrolink gives include the escalating cost of diesel fuel, scheduled increases in costs for operating services contracts and new start-up costs related to the arrival of additional passenger cars in 2009. There is also a mention of "potential reductions in service" but there has been no additional details on what if any service reductions could take place.
I attended the Metrolink Board of Directors meeting on Friday March 27th. The discussion of the increase focused mainly on the increased fuel costs. The proposed fare increases would have been higher were it not for the planning of the Metrolink Board who purchased fuel in advance at previously negotiated prices (fuel hedging).
The board is also anticipating the arrival of new passenger cars in 2009 which will help alleviate the crowded situation on some current Metrolink lines.
Riding the train is a beneficial budget leveler for regular passengers. It is impossible to tell where unleaded gas prices will be come July 1, 2008, however last year the average Los Angeles gallon of unleaded cost $3.04. If we use today's average of $3.59/gallon in Los Angeles as a predictor of July's price, that is a 15.3% increase in one year. So Metrolink's proposed increase is at least less than what it would have cost you to get back into your car.
Its unfortunate however that increased fare revenue can only partially be returned in the form of better service. I'd gladly pay an increased ticket price in return for improved service such as and additional car on my train, expanded weekend services, on-board Wi-Fi, or other passenger perks.
What are your thoughts on the fare increases?
Labels: fare increase, gas prices, Metrolink
Sunday, March 16, 2008
March Member Update
Welcome New Members
First, a kind welcome to our hundreds of new members. LAPassenger's growth is mainly attributed to the referrals of passengers tellling other passengers about the service. As current members know, the more members LAPassenger has, the faster and more reliable the alerts become as we will have more people out there initiating alerts via our toll free number or email address. The most important members are those that board at early stations, so when you see a passenger who boards before you, be sure and invite them to sign up at LAPassenger.com.
Name Change
Our name and website have officially changed from EMetrolink.com to LAPassenger.com. As some members who wrote me suspected, this was due to a friendly request by SCRRA, Operators of Metrolink, who was concerned about the potential confusion of EMetrolink being a service of SCRRA. The Metrolink Board of directors in fact is supportive of LAPassenger.com which I will discuss in more detail below.
Reimbursement Requests
Any train that arrives at its final destination more than 60 minutes late is considered to have experienced an "extensive" delay, after which passengers are entitled to a reimbursement. LAPassenger has made it simple to request this reimbursement when you are subjected to an extensive delay. Simply go to http://www.lapassenger.com/, and click on "Delay Reimbursements" link from the menu. LAPassenger will try to keep an updated list of all delays that exceeded 60 minutes, but feel free to send an email if you don't see a particular delay you experienced listed. Remember, extensive delays are defined as those exceeding 60 minutes, and there are some exclusions. For example, delays caused by nature or by police and fire activity are not covered by this policy as they are outside the control of Metrolink.
Problems and Troubleshooting
Occasionally members ask me why they did not receive an alert when their train was late. There are a few reasons for this:
1) You do not have your cell phone on file with us so we can send you a text message
Solution: Email LAPassenger your cell phone number and carrier (Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, etc) and we will update your profile.
2) Your cell phone is on file, but you or your cell phone company have your account preferences set to block incoming text messages
Solution: Contact your cell phone provider customer service number and request to be able to receive incoming text messages.
3) Your cell phone account does not include receiving incoming text messages
Solution: Contact your cell provider's customer service number. Ensure that your phone model is capable of receiving incoming text messages. Undoubtedly they will try and sell you a $5-10 add on to your cell phone package which includes a block of a 100 or more incoming/outgoing text messages each month, but you do not need this. Typically without a text message plan, incoming text messages cost less than 20 cents, so unless you plan on receiving or sending many each month, it is not worth buying the add on. Just pay the "per-message" amount.
4) You have not specified which train numbers you ride on in your LAPassenger profile
Solution: We routinely notify members who fall into this category. During the first few hours of our website's operation back in October, a computer bug did not store this information when passengers signed up, so we apologize for asking you this information twice.
5) Nobody contacted LAPassenger to report the delay, so we are not aware of the issue.
Solution: This is the most common reason you did not get notified. Over 55% of our members ride the Ventura and Antelope Valley lines. These members enjoy earlier alerts that arrive in time to consider alternative transportation. The remaining 45% of members are split between San Bernardino, Riverside, 91, Orange County and IEOC lines. Some of the most heavily used trains have the fewest LAPassenger subscribers. Most passengers on these trains are not aware of our service. The best remedy to solving this is to continue to refer other passengers to sign up with LAPassenger. Each new member becomes a potential tipster.
Metrolink Board Supports LAPassenger
Some of you may be wondering what Metrolink thinks of LAPassenger. The Metrolink board of directors supports LAPassenger's efforts to improve the passenger experience. I recently had the pleasure of having lunch with Brian Humphrey, SCRRA Board of Directors Alternate, and Commissioner of the Ventura County Transportation Commission. Mr. Humphrey is also a Firefighter/Specialist and Public Service Officer with the Los Angeles Fire Department. Brian recalled how during the Orange County fires, the LAFD used social networking, internet alerts and Twitter to access first person accounts of hotspots and the location of the remote fires. He agrees that first-person passenger generated alerts are an effective way to communicate delays to the wider audience. Mr. Humphrey also took time to understand my concerns and advice as a daily Metrolink passenger. I look forward to working with the SCRRA Board to improve the Metrolink experience as it continues its rapid expansion.
Get Involved
If you would like to help LAPassenger become a timely, accurate, and trusted method to keep passengers informed, take the time now to program our toll free number, 888-545-TRAIN (8724) into your cell phone and our email address into your mobile device, and let us know whenever your train fails to show on time, breaks down, or is involved in some other type of delay. We depend on passenger generated information, so we need your help!
First, a kind welcome to our hundreds of new members. LAPassenger's growth is mainly attributed to the referrals of passengers tellling other passengers about the service. As current members know, the more members LAPassenger has, the faster and more reliable the alerts become as we will have more people out there initiating alerts via our toll free number or email address. The most important members are those that board at early stations, so when you see a passenger who boards before you, be sure and invite them to sign up at LAPassenger.com.
Name Change
Our name and website have officially changed from EMetrolink.com to LAPassenger.com. As some members who wrote me suspected, this was due to a friendly request by SCRRA, Operators of Metrolink, who was concerned about the potential confusion of EMetrolink being a service of SCRRA. The Metrolink Board of directors in fact is supportive of LAPassenger.com which I will discuss in more detail below.
Reimbursement Requests
Any train that arrives at its final destination more than 60 minutes late is considered to have experienced an "extensive" delay, after which passengers are entitled to a reimbursement. LAPassenger has made it simple to request this reimbursement when you are subjected to an extensive delay. Simply go to http://www.lapassenger.com/, and click on "Delay Reimbursements" link from the menu. LAPassenger will try to keep an updated list of all delays that exceeded 60 minutes, but feel free to send an email if you don't see a particular delay you experienced listed. Remember, extensive delays are defined as those exceeding 60 minutes, and there are some exclusions. For example, delays caused by nature or by police and fire activity are not covered by this policy as they are outside the control of Metrolink.
Problems and Troubleshooting
Occasionally members ask me why they did not receive an alert when their train was late. There are a few reasons for this:
1) You do not have your cell phone on file with us so we can send you a text message
Solution: Email LAPassenger your cell phone number and carrier (Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, etc) and we will update your profile.
2) Your cell phone is on file, but you or your cell phone company have your account preferences set to block incoming text messages
Solution: Contact your cell phone provider customer service number and request to be able to receive incoming text messages.
3) Your cell phone account does not include receiving incoming text messages
Solution: Contact your cell provider's customer service number. Ensure that your phone model is capable of receiving incoming text messages. Undoubtedly they will try and sell you a $5-10 add on to your cell phone package which includes a block of a 100 or more incoming/outgoing text messages each month, but you do not need this. Typically without a text message plan, incoming text messages cost less than 20 cents, so unless you plan on receiving or sending many each month, it is not worth buying the add on. Just pay the "per-message" amount.
4) You have not specified which train numbers you ride on in your LAPassenger profile
Solution: We routinely notify members who fall into this category. During the first few hours of our website's operation back in October, a computer bug did not store this information when passengers signed up, so we apologize for asking you this information twice.
5) Nobody contacted LAPassenger to report the delay, so we are not aware of the issue.
Solution: This is the most common reason you did not get notified. Over 55% of our members ride the Ventura and Antelope Valley lines. These members enjoy earlier alerts that arrive in time to consider alternative transportation. The remaining 45% of members are split between San Bernardino, Riverside, 91, Orange County and IEOC lines. Some of the most heavily used trains have the fewest LAPassenger subscribers. Most passengers on these trains are not aware of our service. The best remedy to solving this is to continue to refer other passengers to sign up with LAPassenger. Each new member becomes a potential tipster.
Metrolink Board Supports LAPassenger
Some of you may be wondering what Metrolink thinks of LAPassenger. The Metrolink board of directors supports LAPassenger's efforts to improve the passenger experience. I recently had the pleasure of having lunch with Brian Humphrey, SCRRA Board of Directors Alternate, and Commissioner of the Ventura County Transportation Commission. Mr. Humphrey is also a Firefighter/Specialist and Public Service Officer with the Los Angeles Fire Department. Brian recalled how during the Orange County fires, the LAFD used social networking, internet alerts and Twitter to access first person accounts of hotspots and the location of the remote fires. He agrees that first-person passenger generated alerts are an effective way to communicate delays to the wider audience. Mr. Humphrey also took time to understand my concerns and advice as a daily Metrolink passenger. I look forward to working with the SCRRA Board to improve the Metrolink experience as it continues its rapid expansion.
Get Involved
If you would like to help LAPassenger become a timely, accurate, and trusted method to keep passengers informed, take the time now to program our toll free number, 888-545-TRAIN (8724) into your cell phone and our email address into your mobile device, and let us know whenever your train fails to show on time, breaks down, or is involved in some other type of delay. We depend on passenger generated information, so we need your help!
Labels: EMetrolink, LAPassenger, Metrolink Board of Directors, reimbursement, text message, troubleshoot
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