Here’s a personal story from me (remember - if you ever have any comments or want to share a story, feel free to use the form on the “Care to Share” page):
It was 7:37am. We were stopping at the 82nd Ave Transit Center on a blue line MAX heading towards downtown. The operator came on the intercom asking all of us to get our fare ready to show to fare inspectors.
Panic.
As we pulled up, I could see the fare inspectors waiting there. People around me were asking, “Are they going to come on?!” and saying things like, “I never buy fare because they never check!” Luckily for them, the inspectors only checked those getting off the trains.
So we pulled away. And everyone around me seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
This should not be the way it is. I’m a very non-confrontational guy… but I wanted to ask the lady right next to me - one of the individuals out of the many asking if they were boarding with a panicked look on her face - why she feels that she doesn’t have to buy a ticket to ride. What gives you the right to ride for free while others like me pay for every trip? Does she know that this $0.25 increase in September is happening? Why should she care about that; she doesn’t even pay.
This reminded me a little of the Wall-e movie I watched on Saturday. The movie, as you all already know, is really a subtle jab at how lazy, uncaring & selfish the people of the world are. Wall-e is cleaning up the Earth because all of the Earthlings didn’t care; they threw garbage where they pleased, they didn’t care about anything (or anyone) but themselves.
As I walked out of the theater, I was walking out in aisles full of trash people left on the ground. I mean, mounds of popcorn, popcorn boxes, drinks, candy boxes, everything. Did these people just miss the whole entire point of the movie?! Needless to say, my fiancee picked up some trash as we were exiting the movie theater (I’m glad she got the point of the movie!).
I sincerely ask all of you reading this blog post - please pay your proper fare. You may be ’saving a few bucks’, but the effects of you not purchasing fare can be felt by others. Maybe, just maybe, if everyone purchased fare, we might be having a $0.05 fare increase in September, not a $0.25 increase…
9 comments ↓
Why were they so panicked? Quite possibly because TriMet makes it almost impossible to actually buy a ticket.
I was racing to catch a train at Goose Hollow the other day. I tried to slide my $1 bills into the ticket machine, but it wasn’t taking cash. So instead, I used a debit card, but TriMet won’t let you pay for a single ticket with a debit card. So I bought 10 individual tickets… which printed. out. one. ticket. at. a. time. It took at least 3 minutes to print out the tickets, by which point my train had come and gone.
I often commute to work from the Beaverton Transit Center, but for the last 2 weeks, I haven’t been able to use those 10 pre-paid tickets, because the time stamp validator at that platform is broken. TriMet’s missed out on my fare each time.
This is the exception, not the rule, when it comes to TriMet ticket machines and validators. In my experience, they’re broken more often than they work. Either they don’t take cash, don’t take cards, or don’t work period.
Does TriMet really expect me to try every single machine at a stop to find the working one before getting on a train? Should I have to cross the tracks to try the opposite platform’s machine’s instead, and risk missing my train?
Give me a break. I’ll take my chances with the fare inspector.
Great article. I agree. I had a similar experience last week. We got off the max at Goose Hollow, and I was happy to see tri-met checking fares. A number of us walked over to catch another bus, and as we got on there was an elderly lady (cranky, apparently,) who said to the bus driver “I just don’t like them.
“Who”
“Those people that check fares”
I quickly mumbled “I love them.” but didn’t stay to hear how this was going to go.
I can’t imagine the bus drivers being very sympathetic either to the plight of the passenger who doesn’t like the fare checkers…
I pay my fare, I have an annual pass, and I would easily pay double the amount. I have no problems with the fare increase, Tri-met does a fantastic job in my opinion of providing service and generally being on time. And I ride my bike 40% iof the time. I’ve been to 10-20 major metro areas in this country and Portland ranks up there with the best in major cities… (NY Subway rivals it, slightly. I’ve always been of the opinion that trains belong underground…)
Bob - I would really recommend going to a TriMet ticket office and getting your tickets in advance. Before I purchased monthly passes, I always would try my luck with those machines; some would take my debit, some wouldn’t, some would take my bills, some wouldn’t, some would take my payment but not give me ticket.
I’ve found that with my monthly pass (or before that, with my ten ticket bundle I purchased), it makes me much more relaxed when waiting / running to a MAX or bus.
Just a thought…
I’m just a rule-follower, so of course I pay. The one time I didn’t, I was super paranoid.
Your last point “f everyone purchased fare, we might be having a $0.05 fare increase in September, not a $0.25 increase…” is so very true.
Christian -
Your answer is good, but it is a band-aid to the problem. A band-aid that Trimet recommends that doesn’t solve the heart of the problem and one that keeps people from riding more often.
First off, monthly and yearly passes may help TriMet budget because they have that income, but the money is made at the single ticket purchase.
Secondly, those occasional users of the MAX are less likely to come again if they can’t get a ticket and getting tickets in advance do not work for these type of people.
TriMet needs to take a more active role in fixing the machines. Someone one needs to go out daily and check every machine.
Or better yet, those machines should be monitored over the network and they could tell if the machine was taking card or cash.
What would happen if you hopped on the bus and they said the machine isn’t taking money, so if you don’t have a monthly or yearly pass you are SOL? Oh yeah, your ticket better be validated before hand.
TriMet has a problem and they refuse to fix it.
Shane - I hear what you’re saying. I personally can attest to just how many downtown ticket machines (and along the blue / red line) are broken. It is ridiculous.
That being said, apparently TriMet is trying to step up maintenance on broken machines. They’re also going to be replacing about 50 by Spring 2009. That’s a long time from now, but at least this problem is on the radar for them:
http://trimet.org/tv/episode12/index.htm
I’ve actually had that problem you described happen - the bus’ ticket machine was broken. It was free fare for everyone that day…
You’re right though - it is a problem. A fairly huge problem at that. And they do really need to fix it…
Christian, I realize you don’t speak for TriMet, but if “go to the ticket office” is the best TriMet can solution for this serious problem, then TriMet is BROKEN.
I’ve also heard of (but not personally encounered) broken fare boxes on buses. The driver in that case shrugged and said “yeah, maintenance knows about it, but hasn’t fixed it yet.”
In my case, I’m an occasional-to-regular mass transit user — more often in the summer, less often in the winter. I ride regularly but not often enough for a monthly pass to make economic sense. So I buy single tickets, usually 10 at a time.
TriMet ought to be as convenient as possible to ride. Expecting riders to seek out a ticket office because the machines are broken is simply absurd.
What if New York City insisted everyone go to Times Square or Madison Square Garden to buy tickets before riding the subway? It would be a joke of a transit system.
TriMet: Please sell me a ticket before I get on a train. If you can’t sell me a ticket, you have no business raising fares. Perhaps it’s time to get rid of the honor system and make sure everyone pays — especially those who would love to give you money, if only you’d let them.
If that many people really are not paying, then it’s time for TriMet to go to turnstyles and keep the nonpayers out.
You can buy TriMet tickets at many many places, not just the shoddy machines or an official ticket office. Here is a partial list of places: http://trimet.org/fares/ticketoutlets.htm#downtown
And you can order them online or by mail on the TriMet website.
Have you ever heard of the Tragedy of the Commons?
Please buy a ticket when you ride.
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