Hi, everyone. Just now I read in a textbook an article entitled "Transportation Service at International Airport" in which there is the following paragraphs with the subheading of Tickets: Tickets Washington Dulles International Airport: Tickets for the Flyer Coach can be purchased at Washington Dulles at the Ground Transportation Centers' ticket counter located inside the vestibule of Door four on the Arrivals Level. You can board the bus at Dulles from the Main Terminal at Door four located on the Arrivals Level. West Falls Church Metrorail Station: When departing from the West Falls Church Metrorail station, you may purchase tickets on arrival at Washington Dulles. My question is about the underlined part of the last sentence. Is it that, contrary to buying tickets for the Flyer Coach at Washington Dulles introduced in the first quoted paragraph, when you take the Flyer Coach at the West Falls Church Metrorail station for Washington Dulles International Airport, you buy the bus ticket(the ticket for the Flyer Coach trip rather than the air ticket) at the end of the bus trip? If so, it still sound a little bit weird for them to have such an arrangement. Thanks. Richard
This is confusing, but here's my best guess. It looks like some paragraphs & bolding need to be entered to make this clearer: --------------------------- Tickets Washington Dulles International Airport: Tickets for the Flyer Coach can be purchased at Washington Dulles at the Ground Transportation Centers' ticket counter located inside the vestibule of Door four on the Arrivals Level. You can board the bus at Dulles from the Main Terminal at Door four located on the Arrivals Level. West Falls Church Metrorail Station: When departing from the West Falls Church Metrorail station, you may purchase tickets on arrival at Washington Dulles. ---------------------------- Okay, so how I read it is that they're telling you how to buy the tickets depending on if you're at the airport or if you're at the station. If you're at the airport, you go to the ground transportation ticket counter...and then board the bus at the main terminal... But if you're at the station, you have to wait to get the tickets when you get to the airport because they don't sell them at the station.
I just asked my Significant Other, who used to live in DC, and the main conclusion is that it's very badly written. As I understand his explanation of what this probably means: - You land at Dulles airport. - If you are taking the Flyer Coach to the metro station (as opposed to other destinations, like downtown), you buy the ticket for the Flyer Coach, and the ticket for the metro, both at Dulles airport. - You get on the Flyer Coach, which takes you to the metro station. - You get on the metro and use the ticket that you bought at the airport. So "on arrival" refers to the arrival of your airplane, not the arrival of the metro. And the whole explanation is about arrival to DC; there's nothing here about getting back to the airport when you're ready to leave, even though it sounds that way. In my opinion, the original text really doesn't say that at all clearly, and it should be rewritten. ChickenFreak Edited to add: For some transportation systems, you can indeed pay your fare at the end, but only if you had a reusable ticket when you started your trip. You insert the ticket into an automated entrance system when entering, ride, and then at the end there are machines that allow you to add money to the ticket, so that you can insert it into the automated system at the exit, and the system will let you out. But that is not, I think, what this is talking about.
Your PS reminds me of how I take the subway in my city. We here pay this way at the end of our journeys if we have the reusable pre-paid traffic card. But if passengers do not have such cards, they have to buy tickets before they are allowed inside the designatied areas/ platforms to take the subway; they are never allowed to buy tickets at the end of their journey. When these passengers exit the subway station, they insert the card(a round coin-like plastic piece) into the slot of the automatic checking out machine.
'instructions' for just about anything are often confusingly worded... which is most likely why mr. bell invented the telephone! ;-)
sorry, i hadn't realized this was one of your threads, richard... which is why i advised asking the source... i understand that you can't easily call all over the world from there, but you can email them...
Yes, you are right about my location, where almost everything good is blocked by the governent, including youtube , decent salaries to ensure decent life and cheap telephone or internet service. What we have here in China are prohibitive property price, expensive foodstuffs and everything's.
so, what do you think of the attempts to protest in china, as they did and are doing in other places with an oppressive regime? [to not highjack the thread, you can email, instead of replying here]
