Charlie Doesn't Take Credit

Wonder why the lines have been so long at the automated ticket machines at T stations? Machines across the MBTA haven't been taking credit cards since Thursday night. The machines still accepted cash, so people who happened to have cash on them were able to get passes, but anyone with a credit or debit card received the message that the machine couldn't contact the related credit or debit card company.

That might not be a huge deal if it were the middle of the month, but many people were buying their monthly December pass on Thursday and Friday. Some city public transportation systems, like San Francisco's MUNI, provide a three-day grace period for monthly passes to cut down on those change-of-month lines and the resulting commuter rage, but not the MBTA, which reminds monthly pass users that their card will expire on the last day of the month.

The MBTA staff exacerbated the problem because the employees never bothered to stick a sign on the machines saying they weren't taking credit. Some people kept moving from ticket vending machine to ticket vending machine. They thought they might find one that worked until other commuters advised them to give up. MBTA employees at three different stations didn't even say there was a problem until they were asked about it.

This episode is a minor inconvenience, but it certainly raises doubts as to whether or not the new CharlieCard system is "convenient," "flexible," and "easy to use." (Their words, not ours.) But, if the MBTA can't even get the credit card process right, then should we believe that their fancypants automated system will be "easy to use"?

If you were left hanging because the ticket machine refused your credit card, or if you have problems with the new CharlieCard, you can - and you should - call, e-mail, or write MBTA officials. This Bostonist is sending them the text of this post because, at the very least, the MBTA employees could posted a sign saying the credit card system was out of service.

Image taken from the MBTA's CharlieCard promotion. That really hip dude looks happy with Charlie now, but what do you want to bet that the relationship will sour?