Conductor collected fares?

[traildriver]

I was just thinking about a practice of many years ago where train conductors collected cash fares aboard trains...such as the outer end of the Dyre Ave line during late night when token booths were closed, or for the extra fare on the JFK Express. Does anyone know of any others, or when was the last instance of this relic of the past?

[Messino]

I was just thinking about a practice of many years ago where train conductors collected cash fares aboard trains...such as the outer end of the Dyre Ave line during late night when token booths were closed, or for the extra fare on the JFK Express. Does anyone know of any others, or when was the last instance of this relic of the past?

 

The JFK express was the last instance of conductors collecting fares from what I remember. There used to be this big safe at the JFK/Howard Beach trainstation in the passenger waiting area across from the token booth.

[traildriver]

Of course, the conductor was accompanied by a transit cop during his collections, at least in recent years...

[Mott Avenue]

I worked The JFK Express when I was a Rookie on the Xtra Xtra List back in 1989, We didn't collect fares. When I broke in my Trainer/Old Timer told me there was a Token Clerk on board who took the fares along with a police officer. When I worked it all I had to worry about is if one of the four cars got too full, I would close that one and open up another as service progressed. We used one set of doors on one care at a time. Fares were collected at Howard Beach on the southbound platform. When the train came in folks would pile out and pay the Token Clerk who had a small table to count the dough and give bus tickets with a couple of patrolman standing by. If you didn't have the JFK fare you got a ticket from the officers on the spot. That was the first time I ever saw a line formed get fare evasion tickets?