“…transit officials don’t think that very many people are riding the trains for free.”

In the absence of hard data “transit officials” are only guessing. Until you count every rider you never know. My guess is they’re estimating on the low side.

I think most people who ride metro are honest and pay. You will always have cheaters. Metro’s problem with dollars are that the trains are mostly empty, they need to increase ridership. The extra guards are a typical political ploy, they will dissapear after the vote.

Someone once said that every man cheats in his own way, and only those undiscovered are honest. That’s a hard one to prove.

It will be interesting to see if renenues increase after the additional security guards are in place. Only then will we really know.

Until then, I’d prefer to think that everyone is being honest.

— AJ
“My guess is they’re estimating on the low side.”

and my guess is they are estimating on the high side.

How do either of us know?

Why doesn’t Metro just do like the NYC subway and install turnstiles that won’t let you through unless you slide a valid ticket? Should be cheaper than hiring a lot more people and make sure everyone riding is legal.

Would that be cheaper, Tom?

There is two advantages to having fare inspectors. They serve as a authority presence on the trains, thus increased security benefit.

And, what is to stop folks from jumping the turnstiles like the do in NYC?

That should have read “There ARE two advantages”

Reworded part of the sentence and forgot to check my noun-verb agreement.

STL,

Right, that was my point by my later comment. However, this is a situation where the public is supposed to pay. Not much, but still pay. I’m sure some riders look at it like “Hey, it’s only a couple bucks, Metro can afford that”

So until we get some hard evidence on how many riders pay or don’t, we are all guessing. However, Metro was set up on the premise that ALL riders are supposed to pay

Those who say every single rider must be counted, or we’ll never know who pays and who doesn’t: have you heard of statistical sampling? You can estimate to a tight degree of confidence by doing so. The inherent problem I see with it is that some people look for fare inspectors boarding at a station, and then immediately run out and back into the other Metrolink car. The demographics of this group vary; last week I saw a young, white male in a full suit, briefcase, carrying the Wall Street Journal do it. When the fare inspector boarded at Union Station, he jumped over the passenger in the aisle seat, ran out the back door, and ran into the other car. Another issue I’ve seen is Securitas guards picking up tickets that have been discarded but not expired, and handing them out to passengers coming into the station. As long as Metro polls at random times and stations, these two are about the only variables that I could see that lowers the fare-jumpter estimate made by Metro.

My Metro rides may not be typical but
I’ve ridden it many times with some station downtown as my destination. Usually, but not always, the occasion is some big event - ball game, parade or festival. Under these circumstances the trains are packed both ways and Metro checks every rider for a ticket before allowing them to board. So it’s highly likely there are few freeloaders during my rides.

Maybe I’m wrong but my memory is that Metro is one of several systems that rely on the “honor system” and it was not the first.