Staten Island farebeaters hot topic at Council hearing today

[Via Garibaldi 8]

 

"STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Fare-beaters -- and the economic toll they play in the MTA's money woes -- will be a hot topic in a City Council budget hearing this afternoon, Councilwoman Debi Rose promises.

 

 

 

 

Ms. Rose, a member of the Transportation Committee, which is holding the hearing, said she will cite

a recent informal Advance fare-beater survey that found 18.5 percent of bus riders here hop on without paying and ignore drivers' requests to shell out the fare.

 

 

 

 

The fare snub costs the Metropolitan Transportation Authority an estimated $328 million annually in lost revenue.

 

 

 

 

"We need additional police on buses to ensure fares are paid," Ms. Rose (D-North Shore) told the Advance. "The system is bleeding revenue because of fare-beaters."

 

 

 

 

Ms. Rose said she and MTA board member Allen Cappelli met in Cappelli's Livingston home last night to strategize about what to do regarding fare-beaters and worker safety.

 

 

 

 

Cappelli told the Advance he raised the topic at the MTA board meeting this morning to let MTA chairman Joe Lhota know representatives should expect questions about it at the budget hearing.

 

 

 

 

"I believe the number of far-beaters citywide is far greater," said Cappelli. "It's a serious, serious problem; a lot goes unreported."

 

 

 

 

 

Ms. Rose and Cappelli noted the MTA receives $3.6 million in funding for its Transit Police -- and said more is needed.

 

 

 

 

"Crime is up, assaults against employees are up and fare evasion is up," said Ms. Rose.

 

 

 

 

Cappelli said the MTA and police need to identify where and when police should be posted to keep fare-beaters in line and prevent attacks on bus drivers.

 

 

 

 

One long-time bus driver recently told the Advance about a third of his passengers refuse to pay."

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.silive.co..._hot_topic.html

 

 

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Wonder if this will finally yield any enforcement...

[B3 Via Av U]

Like mentioned, I say that there should be a turnstile on the bus. Same goes for the back door, and the back door would have a little mesh gate that is too tall to scale. Should a disabled person board, the gate will open inward at the touch of a button on the driver's console. The driver would have a panel:

Buttons

FRONT TURNSTILE BYPASS

UNLOCK BACK DOOR

BACK DOOR BYPASS

BACK DOOR HANDICAP UP

BACK DOOR HANDICAP DWN

Lights/Warning Signals

ALL DOORS LCK

BCK DR ENTRY ATTMPT

HANDICP ASS REQ

A button will be present at the back door to have a handicap request access, and a camera to identify with the B/O. Possibly a Metrocard scanner too just for handicaps. It may accept coins too and whisk the coins to the main hold in the front. Same with single-ride tickets.

This is just the logical aspect. No cost consideration is made in this post. This is just so no one flames this post.

Thank you.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

What I find interesting is that Cappelli admits that a lot of the farebeating goes unreported, so the question I have is the following... Will the finally recognize farebeating as a problem or will they continue to dismiss it? I hope Joe Lhota isn't that naïve on this issue...

[B3 Via Av U]

What I find interesting is that Cappelli admits that a lot of the farebeating goes unreported, so the question I have is the following... Will the finally recognize farebeating as a problem or will they continue to dismiss it? I hope Joe Lhota isn't that naïve on this issue...

 

God I hope too. A question but what is the maximum age to get a free ride as a kid? I do it all the time and no B/O confronts that...

[Threxx]

God I hope too. A question but what is the maximum age to get a free ride as a kid? I do it all the time and no B/O confronts that...

 

 

There is none. It's this weird rule that goes as follows:

 

"Up to three children acompanying a fare-paying adult can ride free as long as they are under 4' 4"."

 

FYI, 4' 4" is the height of the bar next to the farebox in the RTS.

[Threxx]

Like mentioned, I say that there should be a turnstile on the bus. Same goes for the back door, and the back door would have a little mesh gate that is too tall to scale. Should a disabled person board, the gate will open inward at the touch of a button on the driver's console. The driver would have a panel:

Buttons

FRONT TURNSTILE BYPASS

UNLOCK BACK DOOR

BACK DOOR BYPASS

BACK DOOR HANDICAP UP

BACK DOOR HANDICAP DWN

Lights/Warning Signals

ALL DOORS LCK

BCK DR ENTRY ATTMPT

HANDICP ASS REQ

This is just the logical aspect. No cost consideration is made in this post. This is just so no one flames this post.

Thank you.

 

 

Yes, but that would considerably increase boarding time and could be unreliable. Plus, where would they go? If anything, the SBS lines should have booths with turnstiles where the person would enter coins and/or a MetroCard, and the machine would dispence transfers.

[B3 Via Av U]

I'm 4' 10", but the last time I rode the bus was in 2010 so I guess I have to pay now. Back on topic!

Yes, but that would considerably increase boarding time and could be unreliable. Plus, where would they go? If anything, the SBS lines should have booths with turnstiles where the person would enter coins and/or a MetroCard, and the machine would dispence transfers.

 

I guess so.

[B3 Via Av U]

I think there could be a raisible bar like the one in the B/O cab entry to allow people to enter. Departures leave through the back door.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

There is none. It's this weird rule that goes as follows:

 

"Up to three children acompanying a fare-paying adult can ride free as long as they are under 4' 4"."

 

FYI, 4' 4" is the height of the bar next to the farebox in the RTS.

 

Yep so if you're a midget you get to ride for free no questions asked...

 

If only I was two feet shorter...

 

But as far as B/Os enforcing that rule I have yet to see it happen. I've seen a black lady get on with 3 brats on the X10 express bus, all of which were big enough to pay and of course she didn't. She had the nerve to complain about the fare then get on and make a stink about having to pay for herself at the $5.50 rate as if she is special or something and then have those 3 brats take up all of the damn seats on the bus. Paying riders shouldn't have to cramped up. Those three kids should've taken up no more than one seat. Two in one seat and the other one on her lap. Screw that.

[checkmatechamp13]

Where the hell are people coming up with these ideas? Turnstiles on the bus, are they serious? You hear people complaining about how people dawdle in front of turnstiles and hold everybody up, and now, people are proposing them to have them on buses. Yeah, 15 people will get on at Richmond Avenue & Monsey Place, and they really think the boarding will go smoothly if everybody has to push through a turnstile?

 

Aside from that, here's an easy tactic: Just ride in front of the white line and you get a free ride. But with all the problems with people fumbling for change or whatever, you won't have to worry about farebeaters anymore because nobody will want to ride the buses anymore because it'll be faster to walk.

 

Geez, if you're really worried about farebeaters, put some undercover cops on the bus or something, but don't delay the bus for everybody else. This is almost as bad as QJT's idea to have buses purposely miss the ferry to piss off the farebeaters (there's no need to explain how messed up that idea is).

[qjtransitmaster]

Where the hell are people coming up with these ideas? Turnstiles on the bus, are they serious? You hear people complaining about how people dawdle in front of turnstiles and hold everybody up, and now, people are proposing them to have them on buses. Yeah, 15 people will get on at Richmond Avenue & Monsey Place, and they really think the boarding will go smoothly if everybody has to push through a turnstile?

 

Aside from that, here's an easy tactic: Just ride in front of the white line and you get a free ride. But with all the problems with people fumbling for change or whatever, you won't have to worry about farebeaters anymore because nobody will want to ride the buses anymore because it'll be faster to walk.

 

Geez, if you're really worried about farebeaters, put some undercover cops on the bus or something, but don't delay the bus for everybody else. This is almost as bad as QJT's idea to have buses purposely miss the ferry to piss off the farebeaters (there's no need to explain how messed up that idea is).

 

Technically I take that back as I was simply ranting can someone delete that post. I do agree that more cops would actually be a better investment.