LA Metro Fare Enforcement Faces Backlash

The agency hopes cracking down on fare evasion will improve safety on the system, but riders aren’t so sure.

1 minute read

June 11, 2024, 11:00 AM PDT

Empty corridor at North Hollywood Metro station with orange and white tiles in North Hollywood, California.

Busition, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons

A new initiative aimed at reducing fare evasion on Los Angeles Metro trains is facing criticism from transit riders who say having to scan proof of payment upon exiting a station won’t help make the city’s transit system safer.

Marina Watanabe describes the program in L.A. Taco, writing that “Metro’s pilot program, which will run for 90 days, comes after a highly publicized string of violent assaults on both Metro riders and employees.”

Metro will now require riders exiting the North Hollywood station to scan their TAP access cards to leave. Riders responded with angry comments to a Metro Instagram reel explaining the decision: “This is a total waste of resources and will only further hurt our system,” said one commenter. “Fare evasion should be last on your list of concerns,” said another.

FULL STORY: Will Metro’s Latest Crack Down On Fare Evasion Help Improve Safety For Riders?

Wednesday, June 5, 2024 in L.A. Taco

Transportation California Los Angeles Los Angeles Metro Public Transit Fare Evasion Transit Fares Transit Security View More

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