Considering the Unbanked in Cashless Fare Payment at Point of Service for Bus/Demand-Response Services (2022)

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79   Interview Guide A P P E N D I X The semi-structured interviews used to gather information for the case studies for TCRP Synthesis Project J-07/Topic SH-19, “Considering the Unbanked in Cashless Fare Payment at Point of Service for Bus/Demand-Response Services” were divided into eight sections. The first part of the interview covers administrative items, such as recording. The second part asks participants about the operational aspects of the transit agency’s cashless fare collection system. The third part inquires about advantages and drawbacks of a cashless fare collection system. The fourth section pertains to policy and regulatory aspects, and the fifth section is about special populations of riders, such as the unbanked. The final three sections are about lessons learned, future plans, and wrapping up the interview. Part 1: Administrative Items 1. Recording: Can I record this call? This is for notetaking purposes and will not be shared. 2. Background on project: Before beginning the interview, I’d like to provide you a brief background on the project objective, method, and deliverable (final report). Part 2: Operational Aspects of the Cashless Fare Collection System 1. When: Please describe when your cashless fare collection system was initially: a. Considered/planned b. Launched (if applicable) c. Expanded (if applicable) 2. How: Please describe how your cashless fare collection system operates (or plans to operate), including: a. Modes (bus, paratransit) and how much of the system (one route? entire system?) b. Cash handling and back-office procedures c. Primary fare media (smart cards, mobile apps, etc.) d. Points of sale (TVMs, fareboxes, online, etc.) e. For bus, back-door versus front-door boarding f. Changes in dwell times and speed of operations g. Procedures for customers with only cash; fare evasion h. Integration with other regional operators (if applicable) 3. Permanent/temporary/planned: Is your current cashless fare collection system considered permanent? Temporary? In the planning stages? 4. Follow-up: Do you have any documents/presentations summarizing this that you can share? Do you have any diagrams/figures that could be used in the TCRP report? Part 3: Motivation, Advantages, and Drawbacks of Cashless 1. Reason(s): What was your primary motivation for deploying the mobile fare app? Possible reasons to probe about include: a. COVID-19 b. Reduce cash handling and fare collection costs

80 Considering the Unbanked in Cashless Fare Payment at Point of Service for Bus/Demand-Response Services a. What are the biggest benefits of implementing a cashless fare collection system? What did your agency experience or anticipate experiencing? Magnitude of these benefits? b. Were there any savings/cost reductions? If so, what was done with the funds (e.g., invested back in the system)? 3. Drawback(s): a. What are the biggest drawbacks of implementing a cashless fare system? What did your agency experience or anticipate experiencing? If your agency considered cashless and then abandoned the idea, why? b. Were there any additional costs associated with cashless (e.g., new smartphone app, additional customer service)? If so, how much? Part 4: Planning; Policy and Regulatory Aspects 1. ADA: When planning for your cashless fare collection program, did your agency consider any ADA provisions? If so, how? 2. Title VI: When planning for your cashless fare collection program, did your agency consider any Title VI provisions? If so, how? 3. Federal/state/local: When planning for your cashless fare collection program, did your agency consider any local, state, or federal policies/regulations? If so, how? 4. Community outreach: When planning for your cashless fare collection program, did your agency conduct stakeholder outreach? Engage community groups? Conduct public hearings? If so, how/who? 5. Financial institutions: When planning for your cashless fare collection program, did your agency have discussions or collaborate with financial institutions? 6. Follow-up: Do you have any documents/presentations summarizing this that you can share? Part 5: Considerations for Special Populations of Riders 1. Unbanked/Underbanked Transit Riders: When planning for your cashless fare collection program, did your agency consider special provisions for unbanked/underbanked riders? If so, what? Do you have an estimate of how many riders in your transit system are unbanked/underbanked (from surveys, etc.)? a. The FDIC defines “unbanked” as households where “no one in the household had a checking or savings account” (Apaam et al. 2018). b. The FDIC defines underbanked households “that have a checking or savings account and used one of the following products or services from an alternative financial services (AFS) provider in the past 12 months: money orders, check cashing, international remittances, payday loans, refund anticipation loans, rent-to- own services, pawnshop loans, or auto title loans.” 2. Transit riders without smartphones: When planning for your cashless fare collection program, did your agency consider special provisions for riders without smartphones? If so, what? Do you have an estimate of how many riders in your transit system do not have a smartphone (from surveys, etc.)? Those without data plans? 3. Other populations: Were there any other transit rider groups of concern that your agency considered in planning for your cashless fare collection system? Part 6: Lessons Learned (If Applicable) 1. Lessons: In hindsight, what was/were your biggest lesson(s) learned? 2. Advice: What advice would you give to other transit agencies planning to launch cashless fare collection systems? This could be something you did “right” or something you got “wrong.” 2. Advantage(s): c. Improve dwell times and increase speed of operations d. Rider preferences or increase ridership e. Technology-based decision f. Lack of trust that operators collect cash fares (stealing, etc.) g. Other?

Interview Guide 81   Part 7: The Future 1. Your agency: What are your agency’s specific plans for your cashless fare collection system in the future? 2. COVID-19: How does your agency envision your fare collection system after the COVID-19 pandemic ends? Part 8: Wrap-Up 1. Missing information: Are there any other important topics pertaining to cashless fare collection systems or the unbanked that you think I am missing? 2. Additional documentation: Do you have any documents or presentations you can share with me about your cashless fare collection system (explaining the system, etc.) that may be good references for writing up this case example? 3. Figures and photos: Do you have any figures or photos I can use in the case example? 4. Follow-up: Can I contact you over the next few months if I have follow-up questions while writing this case example?

Abbreviations and acronyms used without definitions in TRB publications: A4A Airlines for America AAAE American Association of Airport Executives AASHO American Association of State Highway Officials AASHTO American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials ACI–NA Airports Council International–North America ACRP Airport Cooperative Research Program ADA Americans with Disabilities Act APTA American Public Transportation Association ASCE American Society of Civil Engineers ASME American Society of Mechanical Engineers ASTM American Society for Testing and Materials ATA American Trucking Associations CTAA Community Transportation Association of America CTBSSP Commercial Truck and Bus Safety Synthesis Program DHS Department of Homeland Security DOE Department of Energy EPA Environmental Protection Agency FAA Federal Aviation Administration FAST Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (2015) FHWA Federal Highway Administration FMCSA Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration FRA Federal Railroad Administration FTA Federal Transit Administration GHSA Governors Highway Safety Association HMCRP Hazardous Materials Cooperative Research Program IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers ISTEA Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 ITE Institute of Transportation Engineers MAP-21 Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (2012) NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASAO National Association of State Aviation Officials NCFRP National Cooperative Freight Research Program NCHRP National Cooperative Highway Research Program NHTSA National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NTSB National Transportation Safety Board PHMSA Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration RITA Research and Innovative Technology Administration SAE Society of Automotive Engineers SAFETEA-LU Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (2005) TCRP Transit Cooperative Research Program TDC Transit Development Corporation TEA-21 Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (1998) TRB Transportation Research Board TSA Transportation Security Administration U.S. DOT United States Department of Transportation

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