Video: New School Protesters Beaten, Arrested (Again)
B&H Photo Video Sued For Gender Bias
Person Fatally Struck By G Train At 7th Avenue Subway Station
16-Year-Old Confesses To Shooting That Caught Girl In Crossfire
Sexual Harassment On Subways An "Underreported Crime"
Ah, the NYC bus system, so forgiving of those who don't have change or Metrocards. Perhaps a little too forgiving? Last year bus hopping became all the rage, especially amongst the senior citizen set, and the trend is still going strong.
WNBC notes that now city transit officials want to put an end to the madness, as "data they collected shows about 130,000 riders [a week] boarding buses without paying." That's millions of dollars that could go towards their depleted budget. The Daily News chimes in, saying most "fare-beaters enter via rear bus doors that are opened by exiting passengers or by helpful riders on board. Some simply saunter past the driver and fare box up front. To reduce the risk of being assaulted, drivers are instructed not to confront or accost fare-beaters."
NYC Transit Vice President Joseph Smith doesn't have a plan just yet (in June the MTA board raised the fare-beating fine to $100), but noted that they've got their eyes on the Bronx and Brooklyn, and a crackdown can be expected in the coming weeks. So what's the worst line? Reportedly the B46 in Brooklyn, where drivers report 4,000 fare-beaters a week!
Photo via the Sweetchuck's Flickr.
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
"To reduce the risk of being assaulted"...? Is that the seniors? Or is there another class or type of people that doesn't pay for their bus ride?
It's about time they caught on. The BX12 (White Plains Road, Fordham Plaza stops) & BX9 (Target, Jerome & Fordham Plaza stops)lines in the Bronx are especially problematic. This sort of behavior is so ghetto.
Another well-run city service.
Heck, just raise fares to cover these losses. That's easier than actually charging riders.
@Billiamsburg
the same type of person who beats a subway far is the same type who stiffs the bus driver.
and i've never seen an AARP card carrying individual flying over a turnstile.
not just farebeaters but tourists who don't know they either need exact change in coins or a metrocard to board. (waving a fan bills at driver) of course, again they don't ask me for assistance. I would of given them a swipe instead of asking the entire bus for change. yes change. quarters. hard currency.
i'm amazed anyone can find a bus in brooklyn to ride.
They should arm the drivers like they do in Tel Aviv, albeit for much different reasons.
By the way, the fact that you can pay with coins but not bills is ridiculous. Vending machines have been taking bills for decades; you're telling me they can't rig bus fareboxes to do the same?
Won't publicizing the fact that drivers are instructed not to react make it worse?
People get busted all the time for jumping the turnstiles, so why not put plainclothes officers on the most problematic lines and bust those who don't pay? Sure, they're gonna end up taking away more than few grannies in cuffs, but so what? Rules are rules.
I think they should use the Italian system where you buy tickets and validate them on the bus. That way they can make the doors wider and let people get on and off faster. Then occasionally you have ticket inspectors who issue fines for riders who don't have a validated ticket.
@8 - No kidding. Chicago buses have taken bills for years. (Maybe ten years? Maybe more?) The technology definitely exists.
I mean, who carries $2 in change with them everywhere (or $4 for a roundtrip)? If I want to take a bus and am out of MetroCard juice, I've first got to find a subway station so that I can buy a new one...which, you know, kinda defeats the purpose.
@JMH
The TA used to collect dollar bills until the 90s and the Metrocard. The problem was that it extended the dwell times at bus stops dramatically due to so many people having trouble getting their wrinkly $1 bills to be taken by the machine.
Why not put cops on random buses(targeting the problem routes)? Raise the bus fare-beating fine to $1,000. Problem solved ... or give the bus drivers tasers!
Public transportation should be free and tax funded.
These fair beaters must have guts. There was one time I was short 10 or so cents and the driver gave me the most evil look and with a snotty attitude said "JUST GO"
@EricRoberts
Old news Mr. Roberts. We're already there.
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/bronx/2008/06/30/2008-06-30_bronx_bus_fuss_over_new_system.html
I would of given you the dime or perhaps have a leave a penny take a penny cup near the farebox.
now I know why the driver don't holler Pay Your Fare! the way the token clerks used to do it behind their Air conditioned box.
you think the .10 came out of his pocket if his farebox tally was short?
Sometimes when I board the bus the fare box is broken and the driver just lets the passengers on board without paying.
Another perfect use for public caning.
#14, if a person can't afford to pay $2 for a bus ride, how is he/she going to pay the $1,000 fine?
BTW, I've paid $2 cash before and the machine gave me the white transfer MTA card/ticket. Maybe some buses already have the technology.
DC has that nice system setup where you just tap your card to pay as well as being able to take change and bills.
I see this all the time around my way. You'd be surprised how some people walk through the front of the bus without even thinking about paying the bus driver.
@jackdonaghy
The fine is $100, not $1,000.
@SikBug
"DC has that nice system setup"
Especially, when their system is easily hacked.
http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2008/07/washington_dc_m.html
Hey MTA, people (like me) get in through the back because the front is overcrowded. Add more buses! Buses in this city are total shit.
My favorite bus story is the time I was getting off the M23 and a kid tried to shove me backwards in his haste to sneak on via the back door. I knocked him on his ass and the whole bus laughed and pointed. It was awesome. So my proposal is: don't make it harder to get on without paying- just make it "open season" on those who don't pay. Ass-whuppings, nasty comments and general douchebaggery all permitted.
@nicemarmot
Your story made me smile. Thank you. I love it when the thugs and the bad guys lose. I have to think that some societal pressure to be human might do some good. We should hold our neighbors accountable for bad behavior.
I was just in St. Louis where the MetroLink light rail system uses a validation system. I'd never seen anything like it before and I was surprised that there was no turnstyle or ticket taker. They do not do a good job of indicating how the system works and it seemed odd to me that all that stands between a rider and a free ride is the seemingly slight possibility that a transit worker or police officer may ask to see a ticket.
I don't take the bus often, but I haven't seen any fare dodgers when I do. I did, however, recently get on a bus with an empty MetroCard (forgot my valid card) and the driver simply shrugged and waved me on.
Funniest transit experience related to fares: I got busted in Prague about eleven years ago for riding the subway without a ticket (couldn't figure out the machines, which had only Czech dialog). My friends and I got nabbed by a plain clothes officer who fined us on the spot. The fine was equal to about $3 US dollars, which at the time was about 8 half-liter beers in a neighborhood bar in Prague.
I have always thought the Bronx had the most brazen bus fare beaters.
Perhaps the TA should get some undercover police officers to ride the bus at random to catch fare beaters. Also raising the fine would help discourage things.
It's like a stampede of fare-beaters through the back doors of the B61 when it stops at Jay Street. And it ain't old people, either...
Some of those riders have metro cards and are transferring to the train.
We see that everyday during rush hour. NO money is lost - they take the bus to the train and pay there
Also what about the people who have unlimited metro cards - that can not get on in the crowded front and have to get on in the back
Things are not always as they seem
@ Public Relations:
Whether or not they have transfers or unlimited ride cards, they still have to dip their card to get on. Show a little respect for the process. It's not that difficult.
People shouldn't try to beat the system, but I wonder if that number of free trips is significant, given the size of the system.
For example, last year, I once got on a bus with no money unintionally -- I'd misplaced my wallet. While searching for it and looking freaked out, the driver just waved me through. Big whuup. If it's some random stuff like that, I don't think it's so bad.
And no, I didn't mail the money to the MTA or pay twice later -- I've left the subway enough times due to service errors that at best we're even...
my friend works for the mta and drives a bus. some areas half the people won't pay the fare. you probably guess those areas.
Time to put in some "Iron Maiden" turnstiles on both doors of the buses?
The M60 on 125th street is horrible for this.
The current bus layout doesn't help any. I can never understand why people won't go up those two steps to the back area. They jam up the front and the rear exit and refuse to move. So drivers have told paying passengers to enter through the rear doors, and, once sanctioned, people just keep doing it whenever faced with a similar situation.