The San Diego County Grand Jury has issued a report in response to complaints from passengers that ticket machines at Coaster and Sprinter train stations too often malfunction.
The report is the result of research into maintenance records, and also the experience of jurors who rode the train and used the ticket machines. They concluded non-working ticket machines were evident at many Coaster and Sprinter stations, leaving passengers with the difficult choice of whether to ride without a ticket, or wait for another machine and risk missing their train.
The report noted the machines offer little information to aid customers on proper techniques to use credit or debit cards, leading to customer frustration and delays. The County Grand Jury recommends North County Transit develop a more effective monitoring system to assess how often ticket machines malfunction, because the agency currently underestimates how often passengers are left in the lurch.
Starting this year, passengers can purchase tickets on their cell phones with an app called “Compass Cloud.” But for those using the ticket machines, or a Compass Card, it is still not possible to purchase and store single tickets that can be used any time. Those passengers are forced to use the ticket machines on the platforms before each ride, if they do not have a monthly pass.
A North County Transit District spokeswoman, Kim Wall, said the agency is reviewing the report and will prepare a timely response. The agency has 90 days.
