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> Standardizing a fare payment system just does the same for mass transit. No it doesn't. Japan has a standardized mass transit fare payment system, covering c

> Standardizing a fare payment system just does the same for mass transit. No it doesn't. Japan has a standardized mass transit fare payment system, covering close enough to the entire country, and you can get in on that with a card purchased, and topped up, completely anonymously in cash.

lovemenot 8y ago
Presumably you mean Suica and compatible systems like Passmo. It's anonymous at point of top-up, that's true. But when the card is issued, an ID should be shown.
- darren_ 8y ago
  ? This isn't true at all. You buy them at vending machines in the station. You _can_ add your name to them if you want. You don't have to.
  - lovemenot 8y ago
    Good to know, thanks. I'll get a new anonymous card.
grawprog 8y ago
The fare card system they implemented here tracks everywhere you go on their system. If you use the tickets you pay more, if you don't register your card, good luck when something goes wrong with it(and it will). Your options are, travel anonymously, and pay more or risk losing the money on your fare card due to them just deciding not work anymore, loss etc. I've gone through 4 now in about three years. Two just stopped working and i lost two. They also don't give your $6 deposit back, so i've now spent an extra $24 i'll never get back, for nothing on top of the money i lost on the first two cards. I've registered them since. Or Get tracked constantly any and everywhere you go on transit.
- darren_ 8y ago
  > If you use the tickets you pay more, if you don't register your card, good luck when something goes wrong with it(and it will). Counterpoint: No it won't, necessarily. I've never had an issue with one of these IC cards (edit: in over 10 years of using them). I've lost one, that's it. I've lost more of the paper tickets _inside_ the station than that. Do you have actual data on the failure rates of IC cards?

lovemenot 8y ago

Presumably you mean Suica and compatible systems like Passmo. It's anonymous at point of top-up, that's true. But when the card is issued, an ID should be shown.

darren_ 8y ago
? This isn't true at all. You buy them at vending machines in the station. You _can_ add your name to them if you want. You don't have to.
- lovemenot 8y ago
  Good to know, thanks. I'll get a new anonymous card.

grawprog 8y ago

The fare card system they implemented here tracks everywhere you go on their system. If you use the tickets you pay more, if you don't register your card, good luck when something goes wrong with it(and it will). Your options are, travel anonymously, and pay more or risk losing the money on your fare card due to them just deciding not work anymore, loss etc. I've gone through 4 now in about three years. Two just stopped working and i lost two. They also don't give your $6 deposit back, so i've now spent an extra $24 i'll never get back, for nothing on top of the money i lost on the first two cards. I've registered them since. Or Get tracked constantly any and everywhere you go on transit.

darren_ 8y ago
> If you use the tickets you pay more, if you don't register your card, good luck when something goes wrong with it(and it will). Counterpoint: No it won't, necessarily. I've never had an issue with one of these IC cards (edit: in over 10 years of using them). I've lost one, that's it. I've lost more of the paper tickets _inside_ the station than that. Do you have actual data on the failure rates of IC cards?