In an effort to increase visibility of uniformed fare inspectors and reinforce the importance of paying valid fares on the Metro light rail, more fare inspections will take place over the next four weeks.
Fare media includes the platinum pass, ASU u-pass, Tempe youth pass, semester pass and all paper tickets.
Random searches take place as a way to keep safety and security high on the system, Metro spokeswoman Hillary Foose said.
The surge of searches started Monday.
Inspections will take place in the same fashion as before, only increasing the frequency and visibility of officers on the trains, she said.
Light rail passengers will also see officers use a new handheld verifier that has been in development since before the Metro light rail’s construction in 2008.
“It was custom made for our system and for our needs,” she said. “It has taken awhile to get here, but we have it now.”
In previous years, the prior handheld reader was only able to scan smart cards, u-passes and platinum passes. This meant that the only method of inspection for paper tickets was visual. Inspectors would only be looking for a valid day stamp, Foose said.
“What will happen now with the new and improved reader, or handheld verifier, is that all passes will be verified through the machine, whether it be a smartcard or paper pass,” she said.
The new method will also allow light rail officials to accurately log the different kinds of fare media that are being used throughout the normal day.
The current system involves a manual tally upon inspection, which has become cumbersome for officers. All data from swiped passes will now be contained within the device, and provide a clear confirmation if the pass is valid or invalid, Foose said.
“It does not matter the kind of fare being used,” she said. “If you have improper, invalid or no fare at all, it is considered fare invasion and is punishable by citation.”
Fines for fare evasion start at $50 tickets plus court fees, Foose said. Costs can escalate up to $500, and in some instances the loss of light rail privileges all together. Fines will not be increasing during this heightened inspection.
It is under the discretion of the officer to cite violators, walk them off the train or invalidate their passes.
“Some of it is an education effort as well,” Foose said. “It is up to the judgment of the officer to decide whether or not to issue a citation.”
September 2009 light rail statistics showed that out of 426 people found without fare media, 260 citations were issued. The fare evasion rate was .46 percent for the month with ridership at 632,651 people.
Comparatively, this September 634 people were found without a valid fare, with 390 citations issued. Fare evasion rate was at .86 percent with ridership at 693,637, increasing from the previous year.
Fare evasion is a common customer concern Metro light rail hears quite a bit when people log complaints, she said. It is a real perception issue rather than an issue of reality.
“People often see people hopping on and off the train and assume they aren’t paying,” she said. “More often than not, they have a day pass they are using.”
2007 ASU special education graduate Shira James said that this surge of inspection will definitely result in a high number of students abusing the system.
“I think it would be better if it wasn’t based on an honor system and there was something similar to the New York metro where you swipe your card and go through,” she said.
A key part of this is keeping safety and security high, but most importantly, making customers know it is important to pay for the ride, Foose said.
Reach the reporter at amoswalt@asu.edu
