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The last time I regularly took public transit, I would take the bus. There was no way to enter in from the back as the driver would see and lock the door before anyone could even get in.
I’m sure it was a problem at the train station though.
[Yes, its a pretty big problem on the city’s BRT line](https://www.indystar.com/story/news/local/transportation/2022/07/28/skipping-fare-indygo-bus-red-line-easy/7788701001/) which has ticket kiosks at each station and all-door boarding. There’s also some not-on-purpose fare avoidance if the mobile app payment QR code scanner isn’t working on the bus.
As far as I know, pretty much nothing is done. Fares don’t make up a large part of IndyGo’s budget. So there’s an argument to be made that you can easily spend more fighting fare evasion than you ever will in fares.
There were people who would slip by without paying a fare, but nobody really cared because most everyone else paid.
I guess it’s a problem but I’d rather transit be free at the point of use. Farebox collection is usually an insignificant stream of funding revenue. My local agency has made it free for everyone under age 18 which is a start.
It happens.. fairly often
Whether or not it’s a problem? I don’t know. (Or don’t really care)
One of the bigger problems is that the only really effective countermeasure to fare evasion at rail stations is having something actively watching over them, and that’s an expensive recurring cost.
People have been jumping turnstiles since before I was born. I wouldn’t say it’s a problem for the common person, but the transit company probably cares.
It’s very common in DC, more so now because Metro police and other employees have clarified that they will not take action against it. So there’s no real plan to stop it, it’s just sort of a de facto public benefit now.
I regularly see people jump the faregates on the Metro. I’m not sure I care, though.
Yes. Public transit here doesn’t have gates like other cities so you can just get on without a ticket. I don’t think they’re really taking countermeasures because a lot of homeless people use public transit and it would disproportionately affect people who can’t afford a ticket anway.
I only take the regional rail, and it would be difficult to evade. The stops are relatively infrequent, and there are conductors who check between every stop (it’s allowed and common to pay after you board).
In DC recently and it’s not uncommon to see people jump the metro gates right in front of the attendant and they don’t do anything. Why bother paying?
Yes but not sure how much I care. Most of the people I see evading are kids who would ride for free anyways.
On the bus system, you will sometimes see it. They will walk right passed the driver, usually its someone who is legitimately poor. Its honestly not worth the hassle to even collect money on the bus.
Its probably not a huge thing as most of our transit is bussing and while the driver might let an occasional person on who doesn’t have a fare, most people pay. The light rail is less policed. They do have fare inspectors but they are limited to some morning hours and there are only about 8 of them working with them working in pairs of two. But again most people pay.
Very bad on light rail almost non-existent on the bus.
Honestly now that I’m not a daily rider anymore I keep my train tickets in my wallet and reuse until I’m asked to present them.
Yes I’m a terrible person.
Live in the DC area now and while I’ve never witnessed someone jump the turnstiles, I’m sure it happens. Others in the thread are saying it’s common even though all stations have an attendant in them.
Used to live in Minneapolis for 5 years and the light rail stations there had no controlled access whatsoever. It was all on the honor system to buy a ticket from the machine (or on your phone) before boarding the train. I would frequently see people not pay before riding, and on the city sub you’d see people openly commenting on how they never paid for it. Officers supposedly walked trains and checked tickets, but that’s not something I ever experienced. The only enforcement I saw when there was at the stations outside the stadiums before Vikings or U of Minnesota football games. Officers would block off a portion of the area around the station and check tickets as you left the train.
Most of the light rail system is right at street level and it would have been impractical to build stations that had controlled access, so they decided to skip it as supposedly it would have cost more to fully secure it than they lose in fare evasion.
There are some people who jump turnstiles of course, but I don’t think it is a major issue in Chicago from my observation, the vast majority of the people pay.
I’ve spent my whole adult life living in NYC and Philadelphia, both of which have robust transit infrastructure, although NYC is much bigger. I’ve never owned a car, so I am more familiar than the average American with relying on public transit.
Fare evasion is a symptom of a larger problem where people are unhoused, poor, lack access to social services, and/or are drug users. Systemic problems require systemic solutions; police ticketing fare evaders for hundreds of dollars for a $3 fare only funds the policing infrastructure and doesn’t actually solve the problem.
NYC subways put in emergency exits some years back, post 9/11, because people rightly pointed out that if there were an emergency and a train needed to be evacuated, people shouldn’t have to go one by one through the turnstiles. Now people can leave from an emergency door… and also let other people in through the emergency door. Personally I’d rather not die in a fire than give a shit that the MTA loses some fares.
Philly has a massive problem with homeless people and drug users in the subway tunnels, there are places in Center City I have to warn tourists not to go. Philly also has a problem with the transit card infrastructure not working, so when tap my card on the bus it doesn’t collect the fare. Personally I’d like to see the people living in squalor in the tunnels get help, and also have SEPTA get its technology shit together to capture the fares it’s being paid, and those desires aren’t mutually exclusive.