[mykalberta]

Since I just returned from vacation with 2 cities with excellent public transit I figured I would post my review of both here and what Calgary may be able to adopt.

1 - Barcelona:
Has a gated system. Didnt use the bus at all only the metro, train came every 10 minutes. Not much to learn from Barcelona. Bought a 10 ride ticket for 10E - crazy price and could use it for multiple people - go through turnstyle once and then hand the card to next person and they go through and so forth.

2 - Amsterdam:
Here is where CT should travel and try to bribe to Dutch to use the same technology they use.

Now I cant read or speak Dutch but here is the essense of what I was able to pick up.

1 - you can pay with cash. Driver has full on change drawer ala safeway to give you change. Very few people use it and I figure CT used to have it and now figures there is no point

2 - card system - this is what Calgary needs. There were 3 options for cards

CARD A = 7E - reload card only pay for what you use, trips are measured by distance. I think this would be the way to offset some of the costs for the longer trips instead of bringing in a map system like Vancouver. Post the per/km price and then the distances per km to each station.

CARD B = XE unknown price but it was advertised you buy this card and then load it but you get 20% off travel.
CARD C = XE unknown price but it was advertised you buy this card and then load it and get 40% off travel

Now I dont know the exact buyer beware details of each card. How long its good for, do you have to buy a new card every year etc, how much each of the discount level cards cost but it seemed like an awesome system.

Instead of turnstyles there were card posts everywhere to swipe your card. When you get on the bus/tram/train and when you get off. If you dont swipe when you get off then you are charged the full amount of the trip (example I forgot to swipe once and was changed 3E for the bus trip instead of the 1.37 normally.

I believe the company who built the card readers was Advantis? CT should be calling them as fast as possible.

Main difference in this system to Calgary would be you dont have the 90 min grace period. In AMS you could buy a paper ticket from the driver and that gave you a 60min grace period.