Rad Sallee has the story of how Metro is trying to crack down on MetroRail fare cheaters:
To reduce fare cheating on its light rail line, Metro has designated the area between the ticket vending machines a “paid fare zone.” If you’re in the zone, you need a ticket to ride or you might get a ticket in municipal court.
The Metropolitan Transit Authority board approved the policy Thursday, but Metro Police Chief Tom Lambert said it can’t be enforced until warning signs go up, which will happen soon. Then there will be a grace period to let riders get used to the idea.
“In the beginning we will go through a public awareness program,” Lambert said. “We’ll probably hand out information to our customers, and our officers will get the word out. We’ll give warnings for about 30 days. Our goal is to make sure people understand what we’re doing.”
The signs will be the only notice of the zone, which will not have barriers or turnstiles, he said. Otherwise, the system will work much as in New York or Washington, where riders must pay before stepping onto the platform, he said.
For those without tickets, there’s plenty of standing room at both ends of the platform.
But there is seldom a wait at the ticket machines, and being in the zone brings a bit of shade and shelter, plus a bench.
Because only five Metro officers work the rail line full time and the trains have no conductors — the operator stays in a closed compartment — spot checks are needed for enforcement, Lambert said.
In October, officers made 79,187 checks, about 8 percent of total boardings, and issued 442 warnings or citations, he said.
Metro spokesman Ken Connaughton said “that indicates fewer than 1 percent of riders are not paying fares.”
That’s some nice spin from Connaughton, but regular readers of Laurence Simon will be skeptical of the idea that less than one percent of MetroRail riders are not paying the fare.
How many different languages will the new warning signs be written in? Will there be enough Metro Police to patrol all the platforms and fare-check the people standing on the platforms? Where is the new “smart card” system? Will there ever be turnstiles, so that only those who have paid the fare can get on the platform?
It’s been almost two years since MetroRail began operating, and there is still no reliable way to ensure that riders have paid the fare…and Metro is planning on building more. Is this really a world-class train operation?
UPDATE: Oh my! I just read Metro’s press release:
The METRO Board of Directors voted today to designate METRORail platforms “paid fare zones,” restricting the areas between ticket vending machines to passengers with paid fare media.
The action is designed to facilitate fare inspections by METRO police to increase security and improve crowd management.
Crowd management? As in crowd control? Like this:
