Valley Metro/$500 fine for fare evasion Options

[Sloan]

http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfev...ders_to_get.php

Metro spokeswoman says that if someone forgets to pay, fare inspector will ask him/her to alight, buy a ticket and then reboard the next car. Only habitual fare evaders will get citations. How does transit agency determine who just forgot and who is fare evading?

Sloan

[KevinKorell]

That's a very liberal policy when compared to other LRT operations that have a proof-of-payment system. It will lead to many free rides being given and loss of potential revenue.

I would suppose that while a citation won't initially be issued, they will ask for ID and take the person's name down. Then when the offenses by that person reach a set threshold, they get a citation. It's not the way to do things, and I'm surprised that Valley Metro didn't take a look at other operations to see how they perform random fare inspections and cite offenders right away.

[EvergreenRailfan]

Would love to see King County Metro enforce the fare on the South Lake Union streetcar up here. In a soundoff on one story, somebody said they knew of people who had been fare cheats for a year now. Of course on the old Waterfront Line, you would be in trouble if you did not pay the fare. They had a conductor waiting at the door.

[KevinKorell]

Would love to see King County Metro enforce the fare on the South Lake Union streetcar up here. In a soundoff on one story, somebody said they knew of people who had been fare cheats for a year now. Of course on the old Waterfront Line, you would be in trouble if you did not pay the fare. They had a conductor waiting at the door.

And I assume that your Central LINK will be proof-of-purchase when it comes online next year. I'll bet there will be similar issues with fare nonpayment there too, unless Sound Transit is more vigilant than King County appears to be.

[EvergreenRailfan]

SOUNDER does ticket checks, but usually as the train leaves King Street Station, they don't seem to check much after the train passes Tukwilla.

As for Phoenix, who will be the fare inspectors. the Maricopa County Sheriffs Office? If that is the case, the inspections might be lax. From some alternative media sources, they supposedly only enforce laws that get their boss some press.

[KevinKorell]

Well I'm not sure about Phoenix's plans. But here in NJ, on the HBLRT there are the regular inspectors that NJT sanctions (I am not sure if they work for NJ TRANSIT, or the 21st Century Rail consortium that actually runs the HBLRT, or an outside agency), and the local police departments also have the power to enforce fare payment. At the southern end of the system, police officers from the Bayonne police department board the trains and write tickets to fare beaters.