Subway Ticket Blitz Exploiting Shuttle Bus Confusion?

This was a weekend of shuttle bus shenanigans, as commuters on both the G and the F were herded onto ground transportation because of track work and other maintenance (like asbestos removal!). While some riders say they prefer the shuttle buses because they operate more frequently than the trains, it seems the service changes contributed to some unhappy run-ins with the law. One tipster shares her annoying and expensive encounter with cops after walking through an open emergency exit gate at the Jay Street Borough Hall Willoughby Street entrance:

When I got to the bottom of the stairs, I saw a cluster of cops on the other side of the turnstiles, presumably there to direct confused passengers to and from the shuttle buses and throughout the station. As you can see from the photo, the emergency exit gate at the bottom of the stairs from the street was taped all the way open with caution tape. I walked through thinking one of the officers on the other side would help point me in the right direction. Instead, Officer Morrison wrote me a ticket for $100, the maximum amount, for "walking through emergency exit gate without permission to avoid paying of fare."
He asked me for my driver's license which was hanging out right behind my UNLIMITED MONTHLY METRO CARD in my wallet so I offered it up as proof that I was not in fact attempting to enter the station without paying the fare--I had already paid (via the Transit Check program) for all the subway rides my heart could possibly desire. But then I noticed that it wasn't just Officer Morrison: other officers seemed to be handing out tickets, rather than helping direct passengers. None of them, however, could tell me why the emergency gate was taped open, leading me to believe, quite reasonably, that it was opened on purpose, as a predatory ticketing scheme.
Whether it was for the officers to fill their quotas or as a way for the city to generate revenue, this entrapment is tantamount to legalized mugging. It's bad enough that the MTA's service, especially in Brooklyn, has been so shoddy, but for the police profit from the resulting confusion is even worse.

Of course, this is hardly the first time transit officers have cracked down on commuters who use the emergency gate—last year a man was arrested after exiting via the emergency subway door at DeKalb Avenue on the L line. Below, an explanation and apology from NYC Transit spokesman Paul J. Fleuranges:

During a bus substitution, it is not unusual to have the Emergency Gates kept open, especially in a case like this where there are so many entering bus passengers. There were a lot of people entering the system at the Willoughby entrance from buses. Those who started their trips on a bus or are entering on foot would swipe their MetroCard to go through the turnstiles, thus paying their fare. Those who started on a train and changed to a substitute bus would have tickets to reenter at the gate, which is usually manned or sometimes a hopper is rigged to the gate.
The anonymous rider should have had a paper ticket to show the Police if requested, if not then he/she had not yet paid a fare. His/hers is the first complaint I am aware of, but that doesn’t minimize it. We apologize for the confusion and we’ll make sure the signage at the station entrance is clearer so as to avoid a repeat of this situation.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By John Del Signore in News on February 22, 2010 11:11 AM

Comments [rss]

amg2000

Almost sounds like entrapment, but not. Had the cops waved her through the exit and then ticketed her, then it would have been.

This really bothers me: "(W)alking through emergency exit gate without permission to avoid paying of fare." While in possession of a monthly (or whatever) unlimited metrocard. Yet the city still tickets (and almost always wins, it seems.)

On a lighter note, I don't travel into the city too often on weekends. I am on the F line, and the bulk of my weekend riding is between downtown Brooklyn (usually Jay or Bergen St) and Windsor Terrace or Flatbush (15th St, Ft Hamilton, or Church Ave). Sometimes I'll take 10 to 15 trips over the course of a weekend.

My first trip on the shuttle bus this weekend, I asked the bus driver when I was supposed to pay (the metrocard machine was turned off, as it seemed to be every trip). He told me "when you get to the train". So I wasn't charged. Think I had 11 round trips...so the shuttle bus saved me almost $50!

ihaveopinions

I agree that the cops' tactics were shitty, but I just have to rub something in:

As one of the "midwestern transplants" that are so often mocked and vilified on this site, I would just like to point out that I had zero problems figuring out the shuttle system on the F train this weekend. Suckas.

ihaveopinions

Hence the term, "free shuttle."

books

'there's no such thing as quotas'

everyone knows thats not true.

"There are not ticket quotas, but there are performance standards"

"We project how much money we're going to get from enforcing the law," Bloomberg said.

\

http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/09/914.asp

NYC makes nearly a billion dollars in summons. Thats more than all other cities in the US combined.

Illegal yet it goes on cause lets face it our city is corrupt.

Daina

quick note to the ticket receiver. there's no such thing as quotas. but all in all that was a dick move of those officers.

whitecastlerock

Taking advantage of stupid people is nothing new in this town. Some of the people getting tickets probably voted Boomberg in for a third term. Next time you see a gate wide open, with cops waiting on the other side, AND you have an unlimited metro card, err on the side of caution and just swipe yourself through the turnstile...

Mordicai

Wait a minute I think I know one of those cops pictured.

Love2Hate

These ticketing blitzs have been happening with greater frequency in all city agencies ie., DOB, EPA, sanitation etc.

Thanks Bloomberg.

pinball29

THE NYPD IS COMPLETELY OUT OF CONTROL. They take pleasure in handing these tickets out. Dont EVER try to contradict them or they will find grounds to assault you, arrest you, kill you, and then they will lie about it. They are now simply legalized thugs, and NYC is now a police state totally supported by the Bloomberg gang.

It will get to the point where every law-abiding but harassed citizen will despise them. They are no longer 'New Yorks finest' they are simply a another gang.

JenChungsBaby

Most cops will do the easiest thing they can to meet their ticket quota. They're not going to wait by an actual turnstile to catch a real farebeater when it's much easier to do this.

Traffic tickets are the same. Instead of watching a busy intersection to catch drivers who might really be putting others in danger, cops will find the most remote stop sign in the world because they know people are likely to roll through a stop sign in the middle of nowhere. The former would be the greater public service, but the latter is the easiest way to give out tickets.

JacqueMehoff

sounds like trickery, something that's allowed for cops to do.

funny how it's at a station at the end or beginning of bus shuttle service. I assume the shuttle bus drivers give transfers if you want to continue on the trip.

how does that work? train>shuttle>back underground train.

JCK

This exact situation happened to myself and two of my friends July 11th, 2009 at the Metropolitan Ave G/L station. There was shuttle bus service on the L or G, we walked down the stairs, the door was open with three police officers standing right there. All three of us had unlimited metrocards in our wallets. We stepped through the gate, thinking there was some sort of problem with the turnstiles - and were immediately stopped and ticketed. We explained that it was a misunderstanding - that we had unlimited ride metrocards - but they responded with "It's too late, you evaded the fare." Mind you, we merely stepped through the gate. There was an unlabeled box for transfer tickets right outside the gate door, but we didn't even notice (again, just looked like trash.)

They took us to the police station within that subway station, where no fewer than thirty others were standing around waiting to be issued their summonses for the same thing. We attempted to protest once again but were shouted down by the rest of those waiting for tickets, who said "We already tried that, they don't want to hear it."

I appealed my ticket, and was given a date to go to the Brooklyn hearing office. I waited in that office for six hours, for them to adjourn it and have me come back another date, with the ticketing officer present. As two days out from work would have been more costly than the $100 ticket, I paid it that day. I have spoken to transit officers off duty who both acknowledge they exploit this...and that the tickets are nearly impossible to have dismissed unless the officer fails to appear. This is a criminal racket.

sssocialservice

wait a second!! This person came down the stairs and walked through the open gate? How are the cops at fault?

If he did have an unlimited card, why wouldn't he use it?

The Gate was OBVIOUSLY open so people could leave the station to get on a shuttle bus.and even if it wasn't open for that reason, why would he just think it's OK to walk through an open gate? This guy should learn how to read a sign..and pay his fare..

Ralph Steadman

34 people and counting thought the cops acted incorrectly based on the description of the facts versus well, your opinion.

So you must be the cop in question, a troll, or really dumb. No?

theboneranger

why don't they run the security camera to see who taped the door open?

slyguy

this is bullshit. I can only hope the MTA and the cops read these responses. I take the L to the G train, but when the shuttle ends at Hoyt, I have to go down to the F.

The MTA shuttle agent assured me I could get a free transfer, I go down into the train and Nooooo. I get charged again. That was a totally annoying day of public transportation and I can only imagine how I'd feel if I'd been tempted to walk through an exit door and gotten ticketed for not 'paying' my fare.

usernamee

what's truly frustrating about this is that cops are fulfilling their ticket quotas by being slimy and getting people on "technicalities" rather than just doing their fucking jobs and ticketing people who are actually causing problems.

we keep hearing about how cops love to roam through the virtually empty trains in the dead of night and ticket people for having their bag on a seat even though there is no one else in that car.

meanwhile, how many times have you ever seen a cop on a subway at rush-hour, ticketing people for taking up more than one seat while there are actually people standing in that car who would like to sit down?

Ishtar

The only people I see taking up more than one seat during rush hour are fat asses.

girodavivere

take the E train at rush hour. you'll see tons of dudes sitting with their legs spread wide taking up two seats because they need the room for their huge balls... give me a fucking break

MT

I feel sorry for the poor girl who got caught because of the shuttle bus situation, but I wish cops would do a ticketing blitz at every subway station in this town. I can't think of one subway station I have been through lately that someone doesn't automatically use the alarmed doors. It NEVER fails. Its gotten to the point at Times Square that I notice it looks like they've disarmed the alarm on one gate altogether. Is it really that touch for people to walk the extra five feet to the turnstyle so the rest of us don't have to be assaulted by that alarm CONSTANTLY?!?! I would have no problem with the sity getting extra money out of these jerks.