Who's got a ticket to ride? Metro's fare gate lockdown is producing interesting results as the agency determines approximately what percentage of passengers are using paper tickets as opposed to TAP cards. This four-week effort aids in Metro's mission to get the TAP system and turnstile entry secured and running. Metro officials are spot-checking passengers' tickets as they get off the Red and Purple Lines. more ›

You know how you wave your TAP card to log in the fare deduction, but those turnstiles at Metro rail stations are really just going through the motions? This month, riders of the Red and Purple lines will encounter functional (read; locked!) fare gates at four stations as Metro preps to get the TAP system and turnstile entry secured and running. more ›

Sometimes reading the fine print does prevent misunderstandings down the line, but this one just seems kind of sneaky: Metro's TAP fare cards actually expire 3 years after they are activated. Transit blogger (for Metro!) Fred Camino learned this the hard way, as he explains on The Source. more ›

$46 million spent on turnstiles for Metro stations and they still are not operational. That's what the Daily News exposed last month in a story, which was followed by a LA Times editorial slamming the program. Add today when Fox News took it on with Kymberleigh Richards of Southern California Transit Advocates laying out the issue. more ›

The LA Times really let Metro have it in a weekend editorial about their TAP system, a multi-year $100 million-plus project that still hasn't seen full realization yet. Times writers used words and phrases such as disheartening, embarrassed, headaches, bad planning, dumb, complicated, insecure, and even a "D'oh!", to explain their position on the Transit Access Pass system... more ›

Metro officially announced on Friday that gates at rail stations have been completed and that at some date -- who knows, really -- to be they will be locked, meaning the system is basically an honor system (and how often do you encounter Sheriff's Deputy personnel checking tickets these days?). Completion actually took place a month ago, but the announcement could have been timed to put some facts out before the Daily News ran a Sunday feature about the $46 million project. more ›

Introduced in 2008, LA's Metro announced earlier this year that the TAP card would replace all paper passes in March. The switch seems to have been fairly efficient and trouble-free for Metro and its ridership, but the transit blog +metro recently wanted to take on just how sturdy the card itself was, since Metro describes the item as a "durable plastic card with an electronic chip inside that you use again and again." more ›

The colorful day passes that were released just a few years ago will be a thing of the past starting next month. As of March 15, the $5 fare for day passes will be on the new electronic, reusable and refillable TAP cards that were previously only available for monthly and weekly passes. With these, you can pre-load up to eight days worth of day passes. more ›

Despite being in use in some capacity for some months now, today is apparently the day Metro will "unveil" the TAP card, and "will be introduced at Union Station by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, said Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who chairs the MTA board," reports the Daily Breeze. more ›

Los Angeles County has finally caught up with other big cities where you can buy a card, fill it up with money and use it like a debit card on buses and Metro rail lines. That means no more making sure you have the correct change or worrying if the credit card machine will work (but you can still do that if you want). more ›

Daily News tells tales of earmarked federal funding to go to the wayside in the Valley due to Democrats going lean on the budget. Of course, it won't be just the Valley. Watch out basin/metropolitan LA. The California Report looks into the future of rest stops along California's highways. Coffee vendors, farmer's markets, solar power, wifi and more. (Download Audio Here) Closer to home, Art Center College of Design's downtown campus's roof is green.... more ›