Twitter was abuzz Monday with commuters who were frustrated with something other than fare increases and service cuts.
Thousands of commuter rail passengers were held up at T fare gates
when their monthly passes denied them access when transferring to the
subway system.
MBTA Chief Technology Officer Gary Foster said there was a software
hiccup with some monthly commuter rail zone passes that were purchased
through the Corporate Pass Program.
As a result, those customers were
presented with a screen telling them to “See Agent,” and long lines
formed at customer service stations at several stations.
T personnel spent a large portion of the day getting to the bottom
of the problem, Foster said, and by the afternoon were able to rebuild
and redistribute the software to fare gates.
“We know that there were about 40,000 of these tickets distributed
through the corporate pass program. About 40 to 60 percent will transfer
to the subway — but it’s also a light ridership week due to the
holiday — so maybe 20,000 (riders) were affected depending on how many
were opting for a free transfer,” he said.
Foster said those customers would not need to be issued new passes,
and that commuters returning home at rush hour Monday should not have
had any problems getting through the gates.
View the story “Angry T Tweeters” on Storify]
