In an effort to collect fines from scofflaws cited for munching on chips, playing loud music and riding without a ticket on Los Angeles County's commuter trains, officials are considering creating a special court for transit-related offenses.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority collects about $1 million a year in fines, an average of $12 per citation, mostly from passengers caught riding the rails for free. Anyone caught on board without a $1.25 fare ticket faces a fine up to $250 and 48 hours of community service.
But most of the 60,000 passengers cited each year never pay up or go to court to fight their citations, resulting in the low collection rate, according to court statistics.
Transit officials believe the agency could grab a bigger share of the money by opening its own transit court and more aggressively going after offenders who don't pay their fines.
Last fall, state lawmakers authorized the Los Angeles and San Francisco transit agencies to create administrative offices, similar to the city of Los Angeles' parking violations bureau, to punish passengers who break the rules on buses and trains. They cited New York City's Transit Adjudication Bureau, which greatly increased fine collections, as their model.
MTA board members are expected to decide later this year whether to sink $1.5 million annually into establishing and operating a transit adjudication bureau. San Francisco officials also are considering the option.
The proposal would "reduce the burden on local courts" and "provide a more streamlined, focused and efficient method of administering and adjudicating citations," said Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, a county supervisor and MTA board member.
A separate transit court also "would reinforce a strong message that the MTA places a high importance on safety, security and comfort" and "has a 'zero tolerance' for fare evasion," according to an American Public Transportation Assn. review conducted last year.
Most of the fare evasions issued annually are to passengers riding the Blue Line commuter train between downtown Los Angeles and Long Beach. Those who are caught generally are taken off the train and required to buy a ticket.
To avoid going to court, fare evaders can pay a $25 fine, which goes to the MTA, plus $92 in court costs and state-mandated assessments to clear their name.
