My friend John just returned from Chicago and has a summary of transit observations. That town really has this stuff down.
When I lived there for a month in 2000, I took trains and buses everywhere. One of my favorite things was the CTA card, used instead of fare.
Whether you had a monthly/weekly pass, or had filled it with money, it worked the same way. Before getting on a bus or entering a train station, you slide your card in and it spits back out. It’s fast, it makes sure people pay fare, and it’s always the same.
Something John found that I don’t remember are pictures of the street before exiting the subway.
What an elegant solution to something frustrating that happens to me all the time at Pioneer Square mall in Portland. I’m below ground and I want to know where I’m about to exit. I don’t know how many times I’ve ended up at the wrong side, disoriented.
Hrm, if only the trains and buses wouldn’t travel in herds of three, and 40 minutes apart. It’s tolerable in the spring or fall, but…