Look out. People may just start gyping Charlotte’s Lynx system. It seems they have some sort of honor system that will be policed by the occasional ticket checker (according to this article):
Smith said he wasn’t sure what to do with his ticket once he bought it. “In other cities like Chicago, Boston, there are turn styles you pass through so you get on. I was kind of confused how I would get on, how they would make sure I would pay.”
We’re told there will be random ticket checkers on trains, but we didn’t actually see any. If you get caught without a ticket you’ll get kicked off and pay a $50 fine.
OK, let’s see: If you pay $1.30 per trip, that’s $2.60 per day for the average commuter. Now, if you figure you’d get checked once a month (and slapped with a $50 fine), it’s still worth it for commuters to try, since you’ll pay $52 per month otherwise. I imagine people will ride it and see what frequency they get checked. If it’s less frequently than once per month, they may just start gyping it. (Nevermind that if they had to pay full market cost of their ride, they’d be paying orders of magnitude more.) Still, I’m just saying…
(Update: MeckDeck on ridership blues and one commuter’s choices.)
-Max Borders
Oh, and let’s not overlook that on the first day riders are (allegedly) forced to pay, the number of riders is roughly half of projections. http://www.charlotte.com/observer/story/379954.html
Remind me again how many lanes of highway could have been built for the same amount of money?
I was in St. Louis this summer and their light rail used the honor system too. I was a bit confused as well. I think the system can work as long as there is proper signage to explain the rules.
There’s proper signage saying that I shouldn’t speed too, but that doesn’t stop me from doing it.
It is only the threat of getting caught that makes me drive the speed limit.
Either Charlotte goes hog wild on enforcement or people will cheat the system.
Taxpayers are already paying 95% of the actual cost of them riding the train, why not just let them pick up the tab for the remaining 5%.
What happens if you get caught with no ticket? Are the fare inspectors policemen, or will they just tell you to get off and not to do it again? And what if you do not comply when tell you to get off? Are they armed?
I wonder if this system has been thought through completely.
And why can’t I ride a state subsidized Amtrak train right into a station where I can get on the subsidized CATS train? Did nobody think about that?
Oh, I forgot – NC DOT has an estimated $204 million dollar plan to build a new Amtrak station in “Uptown” Charlotte.
But, in a miracle of urban planning, it won’t be anywhere near the new light rail line, nor the downtown bus transfer station. Didn’t anyone notice this fly in the ointment before the CATS money was spent?
You gotta love it…
It saddens me to see how some people immediately assume the dishonesty of people. Honor systems work perfectly fine in many European countries, such as Germany, where you won’t be checked at all for like 4 or 5 months (what happened to be) and most people bought their tickets.
Luckily, this post of yours is outdated, and your pessimistic and short-sighted outlook of the forward-thinking Light Rail has proven to be antiquated and erroneous.
Have fun paying for $4/gallon.