SAN DIEGO -- A specific group of Metropolitan Transit System riders said they are having difficulties with the MTS' special pass system, 10News reported.

Abigail Capps rides the trolley at least five times a week and uses a pre-paid pass called a Compass Card to board buses and trains.

However, Capps said the small plastic card is not making the process very efficient.

"This is why I haven't done it because I really don't know what I'm looking for," said Capps.

Capps has limited sight and the machine that accepts the Compass Card is hard to find.

"There are different locations at every stop so I'd have to memorize multiple spots," said Capps.

Karen Shrawder is blind and is a frequent trolley rider who has found the system difficult to use.

"It's very difficult. I came from the Amaya (Drive) stop and near the station but with nothing around it. And I had to have another passenger have to help me do it because I needed to get on the trolley quickly," said Shrawder.

Compass Card users are supposed to tap the card on the platform validation machine before boarding the trolley. If users don't, they could get a citation.

10News asked SANDAG, the agency which maintains the machines, why they are not located in a uniform spot at each trolley stop. SANDAG officials said every stop is different and the machines must be placed near a power source. The agency also said they are working closely with the special-needs community to make adjustments.

"We try and locate them next to what we call our tactile maps -- these are the locations where our disabled community has learned that, by feel, they can find a spot where they can board the trolley," said Samuel Johnson of SANDAG.

Shrawder said all the machine locations should be consistent so she and everyone else can get to where they need to go.

Both Shrawder and Capps said sometimes the trolley stops are not announced so it is difficult for them to know where they need to go. They said they would like all conductors to make the announcements.