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NJT fights counterfeit tickets
Does anyone know of this being a problem on other systems? I can’t say I’ve heard of it happening in Pittsburgh - which is not to say it isn’t.
200 people in 2 years - that’s 2 a week. I wonder how many man-hours were spent on this.
200 people in 2 years - that’s 2 a week. I wonder how many man-hours were spent on this.
Add it up… 2 a week over a year adds up to a lot of fares. Not to mention that if 2 a week are making it through, then the producers of the counterfeit tickets have a larger market… “if they can get away with it, why not me?”
They had the same trouble in Boston with the MBTA. It turned out to be an inside job with a worker for the company that had the contract to issue tickets was making his own on the side and selling them on Craig’s list. He beat out the T for several million and the only reason they got caught was a user left the ticket in their clothes when they washed them so the next time they tried to use it the color was not right and a conductor caught it.
Aside from the Transit Police officers who haul in the offenders, most of the ‘man hours’ spent were by the train conductors, who have to check the tickets and passes anyway. Sounds like the new technology used to print the passes is making it easier to catch the fakes.
I pay my hard earned money for every ride I take on NJT, so I’m glad they’re trying to catch the cheaters. NJT reports they provide nearly 223 million passenger trips each year, so two cheaters per week hardly seems surprising. Sadly, there’s probably more than that, and yes, you can be damn sure it’s happening so some degree on every transit system in the country.
Fare cheating is nothing new either. I recall hearing on one system in the past, when they had multiple-ride strip tickets, people would try to catch the ‘chad’ when the conductor punched the ticket, and carefully press it back into the little hole so they could get a free ride. Then there was the phenomonon on the NYC subway, reported in the New York Times, called “token sucking”. (If you are holding a hot cup of coffee right now you might want to set it down.) The perp would jam a bit of paper way down into the token slot a turnstile, and retreat. A patron would walk up, drop in their token, and much to their dismay, find the turnstile wouldn’t budge. Assuming it was broken, they would utter a few choice words, move to the next turnstile, drop in another token, and enter the subway. When the coast was clear, the perp would re-approach, put their mouth on the turnstile, and suck the token out of the slot.
I swear I’m not making this up.
Even buses are subject to this. Unfortunately, I’ve seen cases where bus tickets or passes issued by the local food banks, etc., are being sold off at busy bus stops where passengers transfer, like at the shopping malls.
NJT RECENTLY REPLACED THEIR CUMBERSOME AND ANTIQUATED FARE COLLECTION SYSTEM ON FULL SERVICE LINES WITH A NEWER VERSION OF THE SAME, BUS OPERATORS HAVE TO COLLECT CASH, MAKE CHANGE, AND SECURE THE MONEY (USUALLY IN THEIR SHIRT POCKET). COUPLE THIS WITH DEALING WITH THE PUBLIC, DRIVING IN THE MOST CONGESTED TRAFFIC IN THE COUNTRY, YOU CAN SEE WHY THE INDIVIDUAL OPERATOR CAN’T ALSO BE A POLICEMAN. YOU ARE ALONE. DO YOU RISK A CONFRONTATION? TRAINS HAVE CREWS, THE NJT POLICE, THAT’S SELF EXPLANATORY. MANAGEMENT HAS FAILED IN THEIR JOB. PHIL NICHOLS POST IS CORRECT. 2 A WEEK IS FOR SHOW. A MODERN COLLECTION SYSTEM, SIMILAR TO MTA WOULD REALLY ELIMINATE MUCH OF THIS PROBLEM. AN OPERATOR CAN’T SPOT FAKE DOCUMENTS WHILE LOADING 50 PASSENGERS IN 3 MINUTES. I KNOW OF THIS FIRSTHAND, I DRIVE FOR THEM.
NJT RECENTLY REPLACED THEIR CUMBERSOME AND ANTIQUATED FARE COLLECTION SYSTEM ON FULL SERVICE LINES WITH A NEWER VERSION OF THE SAME, BUS OPERATORS HAVE TO COLLECT CASH, MAKE CHANGE, AND SECURE THE MONEY (USUALLY IN THEIR SHIRT POCKET). COUPLE THIS WITH DEALING WITH THE PUBLIC, DRIVING IN THE MOST CONGESTED TRAFFIC IN THE COUNTRY, YOU CAN SEE WHY THE INDIVIDUAL OPERATOR CAN’T ALSO BE A POLICEMAN. YOU ARE ALONE. DO YOU RISK A CONFRONTATION? TRAINS HAVE CREWS, THE NJT POLICE, THAT’S SELF EXPLANATORY. MANAGEMENT HAS FAILED IN THEIR JOB. PHIL NICHOLS POST IS CORRECT. 2 A WEEK IS FOR SHOW. A MODERN COLLECTION SYSTEM, SIMILAR TO MTA WOULD REALLY ELIMINATE MUCH OF THIS PROBLEM. AN OPERATOR CAN’T SPOT FAKE DOCUMENTS WHILE LOADING 50 PASSENGERS IN 3 MINUTES. I KNOW OF THIS FIRSTHAND, I DRIVE FOR THEM.
NJT RECENTLY REPLACED THEIR CUMBERSOME AND ANTIQUATED FARE COLLECTION SYSTEM ON FULL SERVICE LINES WITH A NEWER VERSION OF THE SAME, BUS OPERATORS HAVE TO COLLECT CASH, MAKE CHANGE, AND SECURE THE MONEY (USUALLY IN THEIR SHIRT POCKET). COUPLE THIS WITH DEALING WITH THE PUBLIC, DRIVING IN THE MOST CONGESTED TRAFFIC IN THE COUNTRY, YOU CAN SEE WHY THE INDIVIDUAL OPERATOR CAN’T ALSO BE A POLICEMAN. YOU ARE ALONE. DO YOU RISK A CONFRONTATION? TRAINS HAVE CREWS, THE NJT POLICE, THAT’S SELF EXPLANATORY. MANAGEMENT HAS FAILED IN THEIR JOB. PHIL NICHOLS POST IS CORRECT. 2 A WEEK IS FOR SHOW. A MODERN COLLECTION SYSTEM, SIMILAR TO MTA WOULD REALLY ELIMINATE MUCH OF THIS PROBLEM. AN OPERATOR CAN’T SPOT FAKE DOCUMENTS WHILE LOADING 50 PASSENGERS IN 3 MINUTES. I KNOW OF THIS FIRSTHAND, I DRIVE FOR THEM.