Is Los Angeles' fledgling subway system about to go the way of hard-nosed New York?
In an effort to reduce the number of fare evaders, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is exploring the possibility of installing turnstiles at all Red Line entrances to make sure every rider pays.
Unlike New York City's subways and other heavy rail systems -- which usually have revolving gates, turnstiles or other barrier devices -- laid-back Los Angeles is on an honor system. Roving transit police officers and civilian fare inspectors conduct periodic checks. Signs warn that violators face fines of up to $250.
But an estimated 5% of all MTA riders -- or more than 6,000 a day on the Red Line alone -- still cheat. And with the MTA facing an operating deficit of $125 million next year, all of those free rides are making some transit officials chafe.
"We spend a lot of money on inspectors checking on who is a scofflaw," said Los Angeles County Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, a director on the MTA board who asked agency staff to study the costs and benefits of installing a barrier ticketing system for the Red Line. The transit agency spent $19 million on policing and security for the subway last year, she said, "and most of that is to ask people if they paid."
Experts say it's too early to tell whether it would be a good plan. But transit advocates already are expressing outrage.
"It's a draconian idea that people need to be treated like animals, going through barrier gates," said Bart Reed, executive director of the Transit Coalition, an advocacy group based in Sylmar. "People in wheelchairs can get stranded. It's anti-consumer and can drive ridership down."
Last year, transit police and civilian fare inspectors cited about 51,900 riders systemwide for offenses such as fare-dodging and eating, smoking, spitting or skateboarding inside a bus or train, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which provides security and patrol services for the MTA. The vast majority of the citations were issued to people without a valid ticket.
But experts predict that even if all of those spacious Red Line entrances are gated, enterprising riders will still figure out ways to beat the system. Riders have been known to use counterfeit tickets, lie about their age to obtain a student or senior pass, or simply hop over turnstiles.
