Proof-of-Payment Transit Ruled Unconstitutional When Enforced by Police

In part because of their proof-of-purchase system, Cleveland's HealthLine runs faster than many buses in cities around the country. "Instead of everyone lining up at the front door to pay one by one, HealthLine passengers pay for a ticket before boarding and enter at any door," Angie Schmitt writes. This makes the system faster and a model for other systems around the country, Schmitt argues. However, the system's enforcement by Cleveland police was ruled unconstitutional by the Cleveland Municipal Court, which ruled that police asking for fare cards amounts to an unreasonable search.

"The decision will slow down the boarding process on the HealthLine for now, but Judge Emanuella Groves laid out a clear way to fix the problem and retain fast boarding procedures: Stop checking fares with law enforcement officers and start using civilian inspectors instead," Schmitt reports.