Q-Tester?

Another tale of woe for the Q-Card beta testing program. The 163 and 9 arrive at the same time. I hop on the 163 to save a few minutes, which proved pointless as the bus dumped everyone off at the Hillcroft Transit Center. The 10 minute wait and interruption of my morning reading make up for the time I could have spent tooling through Gulfton on the 9.

Anyways, the point of this for my Q-card experience is that the second 163 driver comes all the way back to where I'm sitting, interrupts what is now my second effort to get lost in my book, and informs me I haven't paid my fare.

Ummm, yes I did. I amuse the guy by going back up with him to tap my card yet again. I explain (to what is now the second bus driver) what the No Passback readout means with the red light above it.

Driver then asks where my other card is? Que?!?!? Other???

Apparently, this driver was pretty adamant that I needed to have a "Tester Card" in addition to the Q-card. News to me since I never heard that one before.

Coupla things here ... and I'm trying like heck to let the whole "Express bus transferring riders" thing just fall by the wayside (very poorly, I might add).

1. The No Passback readout ... I'm convinced the red light that accompanies this is a drawback. If my understanding is correct, the only time I'd see this is if I've already boarded and already paid ... tapped ... whatever. So for the ease of understanding this, it seems to me that the green light makes a better, more positive, association with the purpose of this readout.

2. W.T.H. is with the drivers having what seems like an infinite number of understandings about the card? Part of the challenge in the ultimate rollout is going to be getting riders to understand this contraption better. It should be assumed that the drivers have a better understanding. Is there something that maybe we beta testers can know that at least make us more effective trainers of METRO drivers in this regard? I'm sure my combination puzzled/irritated look at the driver did little along these lines.

SIDENOTE: Part of my angst over the transfer, I realize, is due to the fact that I'm really digging Brennan Manning's "Ruthless Trust." Oh, and it was cold as heck outside.