Hey, there! Log in / Register
Support Universal Hub
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) contribution.
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) contribution.
Comments
Hmmm
It seems like this story had nothing to do with fare evaders. We all know the T doesn't care about them (well it won't do anything about them). With its track record does anyone else think the T won't actually make this guy pay for a broken gate?
I can't believe a T employee
I can't believe a T employee actually stopped someone evading a fare. In my personal experience, they usually just look the other way.
Most T employees look the other way when someone evades a fare,
because they rightly figure that it's not worth getting maimed or killed for a lousy two bucks.
Wow. A well thought out
Wow. A well thought out reply. Since the guy got arrested, restitution would be reached through criminal proceedings, not through some invoice the T mails the guy.
Not so surprising
Ok so the MBTA gets alot of bad publicity about fare invaders. What does Dan do? Well he says there are cameras. Um yeah they have been there for a while and nothing is ever done about. Maybe it's because chasing someone for $2 isn't worth the cost of catching them. But since this happens alot it adds up. So going after an individual isn't really worth it that way. Hmm maybe they should think about the whole thing and actually implement something to stop it.
What about the employees?
Last Wednesday, we took the C line from Cleveland Circle to Kenmore for a Sox game. When the trolley pulled up to the waiting area, the driver in our car opened the rear doors and let people on there. I went up to swipe my and my wife's CharlieCards and the nice driver waved me away. So there's $3.40 the T lost ...
I'll see you one uncharged Charlie Card
And raise you one $7.75 commuter rail fare card from Rockport to North Station that the conductors never punched on the bike cars and is still good until January.
In all fairness...
...the employees on the computer rail aren't MBTA employees; they're Amtrak employees working on an MBTA contract. They get all their training and benefits and everything from Amtrak -- ever notice how they seem so much happier and more competent than T employees?
It's pretty normal on the Amtrak commuter routes that they might not make it to a particular car. An operator told me that if they're short staffed, they're not going to like delay the train in order to collect fares, so some people end up not paying, and Amtrak just eats the cost for the sake of getting everyone there on time. She told me that it's particularly common on weekends and non-peak times, because they aren't planning for a crowded train, so if a lot of people take the train for some reason, they don't have staff to collect all the fares. This was when I worked weekends and evenings in Concord Center. I went between Concord Center and Porter, and maybe 30% of the time they didn't collect a fare in my car by the time I got off. When I did happen to ride during weekday rush hour or during a major event, there were always plenty of conductors and all the fares got collected. So it would seem that they're actually not losing a lot of fares -- those of us who mostly use the train for non-commuting purposes probably just encounter more of this.
Amtrak? Then where's the AmCafe?
Amtrak hasn't had the commuter-rail contract for a few years now, because they sucked. MBCR, formed by ex-MBTA types, now actually runs commuter rail in the Boston area.
YMCA
Yeah, I remember the thing about the MBCR people taking over the contract, but then a few times in the past year the employees have said to me that they work for Amtrak. Are they just behind the times, or are they employed by Amtrak but contracted through MBCR or something?
I see it all the time on the
I see it all the time on the Green Line above ground. Or my favorite - "Passengers boarding in the rear hold up your pass clearly." Because I'm absolutely certain they can tell that my charlie card is a monthly link pass whereas yours is prepaid. I'm also sure they can read what's on the charlie tickets, especially the dates to determine whether or not they're any good. But that's the way they do it in rush hour - they just want to avoid the congestion. Try it off-peak and you won't have the same, but enforcing off peak isn't going to make any money either.
Another Instance Of Lost Revenue
The small trolley spur from Ashmont to Mattapan on the Red Line is a free ride sometimes and a paid ride others. It all depends upon your starting point or destination.
Travelling towards Mattapan - If you get on at Ashmont, it is assumed you came from the subway and no fare is collected. If you get on at any other stop, a fare is supposed to be collected.
Travelling towards Ashmont - Fares are paid upon exiting. If you exit at Ashmont, no fare. This is because it is assumed you will pay a fare to get into the subway. Get off anywhere else and a fare is supposed to be collected.
When I was a youngster, these fares were collected. From about 1980 on until 1994 (when I moved from Dorchester) I never saw a single instance of these fares being collected.
Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com
Mattapan Line not currently running
The Mattapan Line has been closed for construction (mostly at Ashmont) since before the Charlie system was introduced, so I'm not sure how it will work once it reopens this fall.