[PRCo] Fwd: Computer Error Disables Fareboxes

[James B. Holland]

--- In Toronto_traction at yahoogroups.com, crvlkotula at ... wrote:

FRANKLY, I ALWAYS THOUGHT THE OLD STYLE LOCK FAREBOXES  WERE GOOD ENOUGH!!
  
 (http://www.washingtonpost.com/?nav=pf)   
 

Computer Error Disables  Fareboxes
$200,000 Lost Because Many Passengers Got Free Rides
By Lena H. Sun
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday,  September 5, 2007; B03
A computer glitch knocked out Metrobus's system for collecting fares  
yesterday, resulting in a loss of about $200,000 as many passengers
rode for  free during the first half of the day, officials said. 
By afternoon, engineers had made a temporary repair that allowed
fareboxes to  work, Metrobus operations chief Milo Victoria said. 
Victoria said the problem was caused when two internal computer
systems  failed to communicate properly. "We're still trying to figure
out why it went  down, but we think part of the hard drive got
corrupted," he said. 
Metrobuses are equipped with a system that automatically tracks their  
location. That system is connected to a farebox system, which works
only when a  bus driver is logged on. 
But about 3:45 a.m. yesterday, the computer system for the fareboxes
crashed  because of an outage in the locator server. The crash
automatically triggered  electronic messages logging drivers off the
system and taking the fareboxes out  of service, Victoria said. 
About two-thirds of the 1,200 buses on the road during the first part
of the  day were affected, he said. 
By early afternoon, engineers and computer technicians were able to  
electronically disconnect the two systems at all but one of the 10 bus
divisions  "so they don't talk to each other and so bus operators can
log on," Victoria  said. 
Additional supervisors were dispatched to the streets to monitor
buses. The bus operations control center now must rely on radio
communication with drivers  to track their location. 
This is the second time in several months that Metrobus fareboxes have
not  functioned properly. In the spring, a different type of problem
prevented  drivers from logging on, officials said.




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