Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Fares And Fare Media topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Rider reports blind-access CharlieCard failure; MBTA to investigate and follow up
Summary
A blind-access rider said a renewed CharlieCard was being declined at commuter-rail fare gates; MBTA Systemwide Accessibility said it would follow up with the rider and try to resolve the issue before the end of the week, and noted pre-scheduled station assistance is available at North and South Station.
A rider reported that their renewed blind-access CharlieCard was being declined at commuter-rail stations and that visiting the CharlieCard store yielded no solution.
"It just says card declined... this smart card is not valid for use," the rider said. MBTA Systemwide Accessibility staff said they were not aware of a system-wide CharlieCard problem but offered to follow up, asking RTAG moderators to collect contact information. Laura Brailsford said she would ask staff (Lisa and John) to investigate and try to get the rider an answer before the end of the week.
Separately, when asked whether a rider could schedule an assistant to meet them at North or South Station, MBTA staff said the commuter-rail contractor (QLESS) confirmed station personnel at North Station, South Station and sometimes Back Bay will honor advance assistance requests when available; most other commuter-rail stations do not have staff on site.
MBTA staff encouraged the rider to provide contact details so the agency could investigate the card issue and review what went wrong in the case reported to the CharlieCard store.
