MTA Steps Up Select Bus Service Fare Enforcement
The MTA plans on step up fare payment enforcement on the Bx12’s Select Bus Service route. Pete Donohue & Tayanika Samuels of the New York Daily News has the story:
No more playing nice.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority soon will stop giving warnings to riders who board Select Bus Service buses in upper Manhattan and the Bronx without paying beforehand; transit agents will be giving out fare-beating tickets, officials said Wednesday.
The tickets carry a fine, recently boosted from $60 to $100. The enforcement will begin later this week or early next week, transit officials said.
The speeded-up bus service on the BX12 – which crosses the central Bronx from Inwood, upper Manhattan, and ends in Co-Op City – was launched June 29. It features a preboarding payment system with riders getting receipts from bus-stop machines instead of forking over coins or dipping their MetroCards into readers at the front of buses. If successful, the tactic could spread throughout the city.
The goal of the joint MTA and city Transportation Department plan is to quicken trips by shortening the time it takes for riders to board and exit buses.
Transit workers have been focusing on helping riders get used to the new payment system, but now some are gearing up to shift to the enforcement mode, officials said.
That didn’t sit well yesterday with some riders along the route, where there was still a fair amount of confusion on where and how to pay.
“Electricity’s high. Rent is high. Everything is increasing,” lamented Nadya Medina, 54, a home health aide. “Now, they want to fine you $100 to take the bus. It’s not fair.”
Riders gave different opinions on whether the bus service, which features fewer stops than limited-stop or local service, has quickened their trips.
“It’s much faster,” Ironei Ogando, 33, said.
The trip from 10th Ave. and 207 St. in Inwood, Manhattan, to her neighborhood on the Grand Concourse normally takes 10 minutes, she said. It’s now taking five minutes, she said. And what previously was a one-hour journey to Bay Plaza now takes 30 minutes, Ogando said.
But Yoany Guzman, 27, a clerical worker, has not enjoyed the same experience.
“This is a complete waste of time,” she said. “You get stuck in the same traffic.”
I am glad to hear that they are stepping up the fare payment enforcement. It is absolutely ridiculous that people still do not understand how the system works. It has been a few weeks already & from the accounts I have received, it is not that hard to figure out. Lets not also forget the MTA has been promoting this service in advance of its June 29th debut. There is no excuse as to why anyone should be boarding without having payed first.
Individuals like Nadya Medina need to stop complaining about a legitimate penalty. If someone skips a fare, it is fair for them to pay a $100 fine. What does she think is fair? Maybe we should give them a slap on the wrist & make them promise not to do it again. I definitely do not agree with someone who left a comment on the article. Einnor111 said:
Another dumb idea from the MTA that will slow down service instead of speeding it up. Confusion and poor information on the workings of this grand plan will only prove another mistake that the fare riding public will end up paying for in time and money
Once again where was this person when the MTA had all the information posted on their website. Let us not forget they advertised in the Daily News (Bronx Edition) about the service in advance. The word was definitely out there so his/her comments are way off base in this situation.
I think i1ahbanyrkuh put it nicely when they said:
OK. This doesn’t sound like science, rocket or otherwise. Technology is progressive. It moves forward. People have to learn to move forward along with technology or they will be left behind. This is a brilliant idea and it will work if everyone gets “on board” with the program. Of all places, New York, you should know better. Step lively!
Lets hope the MTA sticks with the enforcement at all times as it is the only choice to make.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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