System error results in Pierce Transit overcharging some customers on bus fares
About 20 buses in Pierce County might have overcharged customers for fares due to an error involving a vehicle locator system, according to a Pierce Transit spokesperson.
The issue might have impacted people paying with cash or tickets, not ORCA cards, agency communications manager Rebecca Japhet told The News Tribune in an email Thursday.
Rather than charge $2 per ride, some buses have been charging customers $3.25 per ride, Japhet said.
The Pierce Transit Information Technology department believes new vehicle locator systems – which have been rolled out on buses since last year – have been interacting with the fareboxes on the buses, charging the Sound Transit fare of $3.25 rather than the typical Pierce Transit fare of $2, Japhet said. The vehicle locator system provides real-time location data about buses and helps dispatchers communicate directly with bus operators, among other functions.
Because the issue is not related to ORCA readers, Pierce Transit will not be able to research and track any overpayments, Japhet said.
“However, because the issue occurred when people used cash or tickets, that does make it more difficult to be overcharged. Because riders have to feed cash or a ticket into the farebox machine, with the operator watching, it is easy for the operator to see the rider has already put in the correct amount due for a Pierce Transit ride and would then let the rider board without paying the additional $1.25,” she wrote in an email. “Customers are also usually aware of the amount it costs to ride, and could have interacted with the driver to indicate they had already paid the fare due. If something like this occurred, it would be common for the operator to let the person ride, even though the farebox indicates there is additional fare due.”
Anyone who believes they paid additional fare since Dec. 18 can call the Pierce Transit Customer Service Center at 253-581-8000 (Option 2, 1). Provide the operator with the date, time and route you rode. Once the records are cross-referenced, Pierce Transit will reimburse you with a free ride ticket if you were affected, Japhet said in an email.
“Pierce Transit acknowledges we could have communicated with customers sooner about this issue,” Japhet wrote in an email Wednesday. “We apologize for any inconvenience to our riders, and are working hard to solve this complex technical challenge.”
Pierce Transit has 135 buses and the new vehicle locator system has been installed on most buses.
This story was originally published February 24, 2023 at 12:37 PM.
