Unlawful Bus Riders Who Sneak Free Bus Rides

JustDave

JustDave

Well-known Member
M.T.A. Says No More Free Bus Rides for Fare Evaders

This has been going on in New York City for years. The Transit Authority says it is now so common that 1 out of 2 get on the bus without paying They are cracking down, and some riders seem surprised. I have no idea how it could get so out of hand or how they could let it go so long. 50% don't pay? Who's been minding the store?
 

They walk in the back doors of the bus. What's the driver supposed to do? Drivers have been attacked by those who refuse to pay. They now sit behind bullet proof glass. Turnstile jumping very common, too.

But then, the fares are too damn high.
 
You know I figured they must be entering through back. It's been 60 years since I've ridden a bus, and what I remember is that back door remained closed except for people exiting, but I see how someone could jump in while someone is getting off.

Yeah, the article said the price of a ride is just under $3. That does seem kind of high because when I rode buses in Chicago, the fair was 25 cents.... 60 years ago.
 

MTA bunch of wasteful thieves with no oversight. Also, the majority of the money they take in goes to pay passenger lawsuits and retired worker pensions. Fare $2.90 and that is very difficult, 2+ times a day for many people, particularly the young, who are the majority of ride stealers.
 
It’s hard to quantify a loss when the system is functioning without doing anything.

Sort of like a dripping kitchen faucet, do we let it drip or do we spend money to fix it.

It might be a better investment to let public school kids ride for free.

Sadly, the government will probably spend more than they lose just to prove a point.
 
Over here, the bus drivers don't want to get into a fight, so a number of homeless are always let on for free. On the other hand, people who can afford the skytrain will try to get in for free, by following close behind and getting in free before the gates close on them. Those are the sh.t heads.
 
LoveTulips said:
Over here, the bus drivers don't want to get into a fight, so a number of homeless are always let on for free. On the other hand, people who can afford the skytrain will try to get in for free, by following close behind and getting in free before the gates close on them. Those are the sh.t heads.
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I love the skytrain .. wish we had one here.
 
There are kiosks outside some bus stops, allowing one to pay their fare in advance and get a receipt before boarding the bus. Many just go on the bus. There are supposed to be inspectors coming on the bus to check receipts but this is almost never done.

This system was installed to make boarding the bus faster, but it has been abused. However, the fare is too damn high, like everything else.
 
Since Covid @Paladin1950 it's gotten insane. What year did you leave NYC? Born here, raised here, lived much of my adult life here, will die here. I ❤️ NY NY! So nice they named it twice!
 
Trade said:
Public Transportation should be free.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/08/business/free-buses-us-public-transit/index.html
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This makes a lot of sense to me, even though the though of it comes as a complete surprise. I've always known public transportation as charging to ride, but I can think of lots of benefits to society as a whole for doing this. I know, it will require taxes, but a tax that comes back to the population at large is more than just cheap transportation; Less traffic, less pollution, and of course convenience.

During my life, I've watched services be outsourced to private companies. I thought it was to stimulate the economy, but it seemed like it also made things more expensive. I think of government as non-profit. Private business for profit.
 
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"Decent people shouldn't live here. They would prefer somewhere else" @dilettante

Actually, I would prefer New England, probably New Hampshire, but I'm blooming where I'm planted! 🌹
 
Pepper said:
They walk in the back doors of the bus. What's the driver supposed to do? Drivers have been attacked by those who refuse to pay. They now sit behind bullet proof glass. Turnstile jumping very common, too.
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They need to revert to ye olde days. Back then, there was a both a driver, and a conductor. It was the job of the conductor to sell the tickets and make sure everyone paid. They shifted to only having a driver as a cost cutting exercise, and here we are with the consequences.
 
VaughanJB said:
They need to revert to ye olde days. Back then, there was a both a driver, and a conductor. It was the job of the conductor to sell the tickets and make sure everyone paid. They shifted to only having a driver as a cost cutting exercise, and here we are with the consequences.
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We have never had conductors on NYC buses, and I wouldn't pit a conductor against a determined fare beater, unless the conductor is a cop.
 
Pepper said:
We have never had conductors on NYC buses, and I wouldn't pit a conductor against a determined fare beater, unless the conductor is a cop.
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Ah, in the UK conductors were ubiquitous. The driver would never take the fare. It'd be a lot safer, imo. If you're afraid to tackle fare beaters, then I guess you just accept that some people will pay and some won't.
 
San Francisco is the same. Large numbers of ethnic city residents and poor never pay bus fares. The SFMTA reports by their estimate 21% of riders don't pay but that is just a ridiculously low politically motivated figure so the public doesn't protest more.

We have similar issues with our freeway commuter lanes that are supposed to have 2 or 3 riders per vehicle but because of lack of meaningful enforcement, large numbers ignore it while law abiding citizens are watching and annoyed in creeping slower lanes. When they crack down, usual poor and ethnic advocates are quick to whine. Better for law abiders would be to abandon the commuter lanes giving the rest of us more lanes. However the morons controlling the system want less single vehicle commuters so think their remedy will motivate more ride sharing despite never requiring enforcement. Instead it just created an army of law breakers while making law abiders lanes even slower.

They also need to track down those that never pay fines by confiscating their vehicles until they do so or sell them. Fortunately with the dramatic recent rise in ALPR, Automated License Plate Readers, that the ACLU and ethnic advocates monkeywrenched implementation of for years, police are now rapidly changing the lawless status quos.

Our SF Bay Area wide BART system just spent a lot of money upgrading fair gates to prevent various ways so many evade payment. Another issue is actually collecting fines from those that are fined but choose to ignore doing so because without enforcement some will.
 
JustDave said:
You know I figured they must be entering through back. It's been 60 years since I've ridden a bus, and what I remember is that back door remained closed except for people exiting, but I see how someone could jump in while someone is getting off.
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60 years is probably the same for me, I was an 18 year-old student. Back then though everybody boarded the bus at the back and you paid your bus fare to the bus conductor.
 
The city of Phoenix has gotten very tough on their policy regarding this situation. The back door is only opened for passengers getting off the bus. Anyone attempting to get on the bus from the rear will be kicked off. Cash is no longer accepted for bus fares anymore. Riders either have to buy a preloaded card at various stores or pay with their phones. From what I read, people were getting harassed by homeless people asking for cash at the bus stops.

There are programs in place for seniors and those in the low income bracket to be provided with free preloaded cards or buying them at a reduced rate. And apparently the homeless shelters give them out too for those who are staying at the shelter. On a side note, the city also replaced all benches at bus stops with individual seats to prevent the homeless from sleeping at the bus stops.

The light rail was a big problem also but I read that each train now has one or security officers to check to make sure each passenger has paid the fare. In the past homeless people used to get on the train and ride the entire route to escape the heat during the summer.
 
Pinky said:
I love the skytrain .. wish we had one here.
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It's ok in warm weather, not so much when it gets cold. Gets cold waiting on the platform. And of course, no one can deal even with a few inches of snow in Vancouver, so the whole thing shuts down. And it has snowed the last 3 years. I preferred the subway, the Metro, in Montreal where I grew up.
 

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