Prepaid Bus Boarding Debuts On Belmont But Why Doesn T Loop Link Have It Yet

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            The head-scratcher for me was that the CTA has been planning to implement off-board fare collection along the Loop Link bus-rapid-transit corridor for     years. But nearly six months after that route launched last December, prepaid boarding still hasn’t materialized.



            But the transit agency says there are several reasons why the Belmont station, which is also served by the #82 Kimball bus, is a good location for the     program’s maiden voyage. The stop is one of Chicago’s busiest rail-bus transfers—more than seven million rides were taken on the Belmont bus in 2015. The     agency says boarding times on the Belmont bus can be as long as five minutes, which often results in “bus bunching,” the hated phenomenon where customers     wait an eternity for a ride only to have two or more buses appear at once.



    While there’s no guarantee the Loop Link prepaid boarding pilot won’t be pushed back again, Tolman did have one good piece of news about the BRT corridor:     when the system debuted in December, the transit authority required bus operators to approach the raised boarding platforms at three mph so as to avoid     smacking customers with their side mirrors. Along with the lack of off-board fare collection, the rule was a factor in why the $41 million Loop Link     project initially seemed to have little effect on cross-Loop travel times. Tolman says they’ve finally gotten rid of this infuriating speed limit.



            I returned to the prepaid boarding bullpen. When a westbound Belmont bus arrived, the female employee held the back doors open and customers swiftly walked     on through both entrances, with no need to tap. It took only one minute and 15 seconds to completely load the bus.