Is Cracking Down on Fare Evasion the Answer to Lagging Transit Ridership?

Transit systems around the country are attempting to counter a perception of increased crime by cracking down on fare evasion, reports Jeff McMurray for My Panhandle.

In East St. Louis, Illinois, “MetroLink has begun adding 8-foot (2.4-meter) metal gates to ensure customers can’t enter the platform without a valid fare card. That’s a major change from the honor system the two-state light rail had employed since its inception in 1993, with fares only enforced through onboard spot checks and the threat of fines for repeat violators.” Other systems are implementing stricter fare verification mechanisms, too.

Kevin Scott, general manager for security at Bi-State Development, the agency overseeing transit in East St. Louis, says the new gates are “less about catching fare-skippers than improving safety” by preventing criminals from entering the transit system.

Other agencies have decided catching a few fare evaders isn’t worth the high cost of new enforcement mechanisms. “Sound Transit, which operates the regional light rail system in the Seattle area, has never had fare gates and has no plans to add them after one study concluded the systemwide cost could approach $200 million.”