Light Rail ticketing system may tempt riders to cheat

[mfs NJT459]

HOBOKEN — The ticketing system on NJ Transit's three light rail lines largely relies on riders' moral compasses. Though the threat of getting caught is real, inconsistent ticket enforcement seems to open the way for savvy riders to cheat the system.

 

There's no way to know for sure how many riders choose to take the risk, nor how many tickets are purchased or validated at each station. NJ Transit only tracks the number of summonses issued to passengers caught without a validated ticket, according to a response to an Open Public Records Act request. 

 

Read More: Source

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Via Garibaldi 8]

lol@honor system... For the people claiming that they "lost" their ticket, you can get a receipt when you buy your ticket.  I always get one with my tickets.  I took Metro-North in this morning and saw a few people getting tickets but without receipts.  I have never been double checked before, but just in case, it's always a good idea to get one.

[Orion VII 4 Life]

The whole honor system is a joke. I've never seen the eagle team or whatever NJ calls them on the HBLR, but I guess I really don't ride it or go there enough to know. Talking about SBS in NY I haven't seen them on the M15 Select in a LONG time, not down by me at least and I've never had to show my ticket. Usually if I take it I'm transferring so I don't mind paying the fare and getting my ticket even though I know no one's gonna check. The 1 time I did get checked was on the M34, they were checking and even holding up buses at 9th Ave headed to the f*cking Car Show and checked as many people on that jam packed bus as they could. What a joke, I didn't see them writing 1 ticket and they're holding up buses going to one of the biggest events in the city meanwhile the other routes are probably getting a ton of free riders.

[Cait Sith]

The whole honor system is a joke. I've never seen the eagle team or whatever NJ calls them on the HBLR,

I've consistently seen them at Newport, that's about it. I haven't seen them at any other station.

[RGSJenkins]

On NLR, they're usually there at Orange St, Military Park, and at Newark Penn.

[553 Bridgeton]

The Riverline has the same problem.

[mfs NJT459]

i only saw them on the River Line maybe one or two times ever

the article shows map data of summons issued by station from all 3 lines

 

And they need to have fare enforcement officers at the Camden waterfront every time there is a concert at the venue across the street from the station

[biGC323232]

No..They be out there...They be at the stations where u least espect... 

[DaTransitMan4608]

i only saw them on the River Line maybe one or two times ever

 

the article shows map data of summons issued by station from all 3 lines

 

And they need to have fare enforcement officers at the Camden waterfront every time there is a concert at the venue across the street from the station

When I was little, I saw a guy get taken off the RiverLine in handcuffs because he didn't buy a ticket. That was back when inspectors got on the trains all the time.

[553 Bridgeton]

I have never seen those fare ppl on the riverline.

[Union Tpke]

I have had my tickets not collected on LIRR before, especially between KG and Forest hILLS

[QM1to6Ave]

The real question is what percentage of those summonses are actually paid...

[161 New York]

The real question is what percentage of those summonses are actually paid...

 

Hopefully, near 100%, otherwise you have a warrant out and you go to JAIL! This is a municipal court matter and New Jersey is no joke!!!

 

 

Read what happened to this guy from Germany.

 

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2008/09/hoboken_man_skips_190_light_ra.html

 

 

Skipped $1.90 Light Rail fare leads to night in jail

By Amy Sara Clark/The Jersey Journal

on September 19, 2008 at 1:11 PM, updated October 08, 2008 at 11:29 PM

 

Then as he walked outside to get a beer, the police drove up to answer a false alarm next door, as he later found out. So he asked the officer for advice on how best to deal with the warrant situation, he said, acknowledging, "Maybe I was as a little naive."

"(The officer) looked at me and said, 'If you make me aware of the fact that there's a warrant out for your arrest then I have to arrest you,'" Hofer said.

So, at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 28, Hofer was cuffed and arrested. After a long stop at the Hoboken police station, he was delivered to the Jersey City police, who, he said, found the situation quite funny.

"They said, 'I can't believe you got arrested for that,'" he said. "But once the proceedings had started, there was no way to stop it."

[161 New York]

I've consistently seen them at Newport, that's about it. I haven't seen them at any other station.

 

I've seen them off and on at a few stations over the past few years during rush hours:

 

2nd Street - Hoboken

 

Liberty State Park - Jersey City (Consistently, they have a fairly big multi-agency "command center" (NJSP, NJTPD, JCPD) when they did)

 

Richard Street - Jersey City

 

45th Street - Bayonne

[FamousNYLover]

I always validad my LRT tickets when I use HBLR, Newark City Subway or RiverLine.

[Orion VII 4 Life]

Hopefully, near 100%, otherwise you have a warrant out and you go to JAIL! This is a municipal court matter and New Jersey is no joke!!!

 

 

Read what happened to this guy from Germany.

 

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2008/09/hoboken_man_skips_190_light_ra.html

Wow. In NY they send you to the MTA's own private kangaroo court (where you're guilty until proven innocent-oh yeah and you really can't prove yourself innocent) and you're charged with breaking an MTA rule and not the NYS Penal Law, though I think they can arrest and charge you with that if they wanted to. MTA violations are not criminal violations and IIRC can't show on your record but many jobs in the area in the security/government/MTA field will want a printout from the MTA court showing if you had any violations through them. I don't know if they're able to issue warrants.

 

Nothing new about Jersey being f*cking insane.

[QM1to6Ave]

Wow. In NY they send you to the MTA's own private kangaroo court (where you're guilty until proven innocent-oh yeah and you really can't prove yourself innocent) and you're charged with breaking an MTA rule and not the NYS Penal Law, though I think they can arrest and charge you with that if they wanted to. MTA violations are not criminal violations and IIRC can't show on your record but many jobs in the area in the security/government/MTA field will want a printout from the MTA court showing if you had any violations through them. I don't know if they're able to issue warrants.

 

Nothing new about Jersey being f*cking insane.

 

The Eagle Team can't arrest you, though I have seen them call NYPD to arrest people who refuse to give ID

[Orion VII 4 Life]

The Eagle Team can't arrest you, though I have seen them call NYPD to arrest people who refuse to give ID

I wonder what they do if someone just dips on them. I know some security guards think they're tough sh*t real cops and actually chase people down.

[QM1to6Ave]

I wonder what they do if someone just dips on them. I know some security guards think they're tough sh*t real cops and actually chase people down.

Lol. The MTA says a lot of the Eagle Team guys are former cops. The ones I see tend to look pretty relaxed and don't take themselves too seriously

[161 New York]

Wow. In NY they send you to the MTA's own private kangaroo court (where you're guilty until proven innocent-oh yeah and you really can't prove yourself innocent) and you're charged with breaking an MTA rule and not the NYS Penal Law, 

 

I don't know if they're able to issue warrants.

 

 

No warrants, but I heard that the MTA Court will either periodically garnish 10% of your Metrocard replenishments or will suspend your Metrocard until the issue is addressed.   

[pjbr40]

I have never seen those fare ppl on the riverline.

i ride the river line few times. they are alway at palmyra. one was a lady hopped  on and ride to check everyone. the other week there was like 4 guys at once.I think some was in training because i can tell how they talk to each other when one of then was looking for timestamp on the ticket. Those mens hold the train up. 

[kmarq4ever]

The entire proof-of-purchase system is a fail. For the bus lines, I've learned that the idea was people would collect a fare receipt at the beginning of their trip and need to show proof before entering the next zone. It became too time consuming I guess for people to enforce it, so for a while in the early 2000's, I remember certain bus drivers on the #21 bus line stopping at the zone line when my mother and I would be on the way home, and trying to guess if people paid the full fare or not. One almost busted my mother, luckily she had a 2 Zone MPASS on her, but other people who didn't collect their receipts would claim they paid the correct fair (who's to know if they really had or hadn't).

 

After that period, you never really saw people inspecting anymore. #31 Independent was a lot more consistent with it, and they would actually use old transfers folded over (no Wayfarer ticketing at the time) to get people at the Dover Street terminal before continuing to Livingston (though they didn't really have anything in place for the 2nd to 3rd zone). NJT would probably double their revenue if they actually increased fare enforcement on the system.

[Silk City Transit]

The entire proof-of-purchase system is a fail. For the bus lines, I've learned that the idea was people would collect a fare receipt at the beginning of their trip and need to show proof before entering the next zone. It became too time consuming I guess for people to enforce it, so for a while in the early 2000's, I remember certain bus drivers on the #21 bus line stopping at the zone line when my mother and I would be on the way home, and trying to guess if people paid the full fare or not. One almost busted my mother, luckily she had a 2 Zone MPASS on her, but other people who didn't collect their receipts would claim they paid the correct fair (who's to know if they really had or hadn't).

 

After that period, you never really saw people inspecting anymore. #31 Independent was a lot more consistent with it, and they would actually use old transfers folded over (no Wayfarer ticketing at the time) to get people at the Dover Street terminal before continuing to Livingston (though they didn't really have anything in place for the 2nd to 3rd zone). NJT would probably double their revenue if they actually increased fare enforcement on the system.

Yeah that system is not enforced at all. In theory people are supposed to take the receipt and surrender it when alighting and that would indicate if they paid the right fare. I think years ago that was enforced but it hasn't as long as I've been riding the bus since the early 90's. It is too tedious and time consuming and can certainly lead to conflicts and altercations. Very few people even take the receipt to begin with.

[BZGuy]

Yeah that system is not enforced at all. In theory people are supposed to take the receipt and surrender it when alighting and that would indicate if they paid the right fare. I think years ago that was enforced but it hasn't as long as I've been riding the bus since the early 90's. It is too tedious and time consuming and can certainly lead to conflicts and altercations. Very few people even take the receipt to begin with.

The was an oldtimer that used to do 1/161 that still enforced it. People would get real pissy with him because it did hold things up and make him late. I think he has enough of the confrontations so I see him on 2/197 now.

[Silk City Transit]

The was an oldtimer that used to do 1/161 that still enforced it. People would get real pissy with him because it did hold things up and make him late. I think he has enough of the confrontations so I see him on 2/197 now.

Lol yeah get tired of checking receipts so pick the line with the most zones at the garage!