Journal alleges lots of STM fare fraud
The Journal sent a journalist into the metro with a camera to record incidents of passengers getting in without paying and found a lot of examples. But the pictures showing people walking through the open plexi partition doesn’t prove anything – I’ve done that for convenience with a perfectly valid pass in my pocket.
What the Journal doesn’t get into is whether the cost (financial and social) of ramping up security to fight this kind of thing would be worth it.
denpanosekai 09:18 on 2019-04-15 Permalink
I see it almost every day at Monk nowadays. Mostly kids, who don’t really look like they couldn’t afford it.
mare 10:00 on 2019-04-15 Permalink
When the booth attendant have to go the bathroom they open a stile. Passing through it without a ticket is inevitable for someone without a loaded Opus card. But most people who do pass have a pass or an Opus with tickets. And most people still go through the closed gates and pay. Fare evasion is actually pretty low here compared to many other cities our size, I’d say. And I’d definitely not like the razzias they perform in Paris I have experienced were a Metro whole station gets closed off by RATP inspectors and police with machine guns, and everybody’s Metro tickets were inspected, but then also their passport or ID cards were checked. It was a pretty harrowing experience for a tourist like I was. A few people got arrested for fare evasion, but the (illegal?) immigrants made well sure they had paid their fares. I hope they didn’t get deported anyway.
Tux 21:05 on 2019-04-15 Permalink
Improving the physical security of the metro might decrease fraud. Certainly a one-time investment in better barriers (and ongoing expenses for maintenance) might potentially be a better value than paying salaries to Inspecteurs in perpetuity, who have another cost as well in that it seems impossible to train them not to specifically target brown people, and who seem to think it’s okay to use violence when enforcing fare payment rules.
Of course, in an emergency situation, better barriers might be a barrier to escape. Seems hard to suss out what’s the better course of action, but I for one am tired of being asked ‘papers please’ by security guards who’ve been dressed up in cop costumes to look more intimidating.
steph 21:36 on 2019-04-15 Permalink
What ever happened to the court ruling that asking for proof was illegal?
Kate 21:49 on 2019-04-15 Permalink
steph, I don’t think that ruling held. The STM ignored it. I seem to recall it was officially cancelled a bit later, but can’t find a link.
dwgs 09:07 on 2019-04-16 Permalink
Last week an acquaintance told me about an upcoming court date. One day last year, upon arriving at the metro, he discovered that he had forgotten his OPUS card. He approached the kiosk and told his tale of woe to the attendant, explained that he had no cash and was running late, could anything be done? The attendant said that it wasn’t up to him to enforce payment, the pushed the button to allow the guy to go through the turnstile. My acquaintance thanks him and hurries toward the platform. As he does so he sees the attendant signal two cops (real ones, not STM guys) who were patrolling the station. They approach my acquaintance, id and question him, he says he must have misunderstood the attendant’s intentions and voluntarily leaves the station. A few months later he receives a summons…
JP 21:15 on 2019-04-16 Permalink
I understand that we must pay to use the metro and bus, but it is also very much a public service and a means to participate in our lives and our community. Students going to school, parents taking their children to daycare, people going to work (for the upper classes…), or meeting up with friends and family. I appreciate security and order, but I don’t understand why the experience can’t also be humanized (The acquaintance in the above-mentioned story voluntarily left the metro…a summons seems like an over-reaction).
I worry about people who don’t have the ability to defend themselves against Metro authorities. We’re in Montreal, not everyone speaks/understands English or French, or even if they do, it’s easy to not be aware of that rule. Or, they have been using the STM for decades without having to keep proof of payment. Now all of a sudden they do. I’ve also seen confusion about how long tickets last, using/re-using them in a certain direction, and drivers’ or staff’s unwillingness to be patient or explain (in French or in English). It’s not intuitive how long tickets last and it’s not clearly marked. This is just an example. Agents need to be trained to assert authority, while maintaining a sense of professionalism. You can assert authority, be professional, and be kind. It takes practice, but it’s possible. People should not be afraid to approach staff with a question for fear that they might be rebuffed or dismissed.
In a time, where we direly need and want (i.e., for environmental reasons) people to switch to public transportation, is this how we want to encourage it?
I should be clear that I’ve mostly used the bus/metro without ever any issues myself, and think it’s a great way to get around, but I do worry about others. I’m lucky that I’m not presently vulnerable and am lucky to be able to fit in.
Marc 11:18 on 2019-04-17 Permalink
Alternatively it could be made a “free” public service. https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/benefits-of-free-public-transit-would-outweigh-costs-montreal-think-tank-1.3610399