Thursday, November 29, 2007

enforcing it by farelessfareevasion

I have risen and broken my long silence! (yeah, go back to sleep!
lol)
Al, someday I need to grow up & be just like you! he he! Sounds
like I could get on your bus with an old movie ticket and it wouldn't
matter. just teasin big guy. My "policy" is somewhere between Al's,
Luci's & Jeff's. If the end of the month rolls into a weekend, I
give them through the end of Monday night or Tuesday. If it is
during the work week, to avoid argument (and Al's beer bottle), I
also give em a couple of days.

After about the 2nd, maybe the 3rd (depending on my mood), then I
start "enforcing" it (which amounts to telling them about it). If
they persist (which about 60% do) about not having it yet cause mommy
hasn't been paid yet, I let them rise, but don't offer transfers. I
have heard several drivers confiscate the old passes, give them a day
ticket in return, and this "forces" acttion. I also was lead to
believe that passes were still the property of TriMet, but transfers,
once given to the customer, are theirs, and cannot be confiscated. I
get a little more pushier now about alowing the next month's passes
before the month starts..I used to allow it more, figuring that if
they had a pass, they probably has last month's too..

And those STUPID white machine tickets? If it looks even remotely
close to a white Trimet ticket, it's valid to me..last years? so
what. Didn't issue me a magnifying glass with a hole punch. I don't
have the time to screw with those! Dumbest design I've ever seen.
Fred (or his designated representative-he he) needs to be on the bus
to stand by the farebox and personally inspect each one of these for
authenticity and correct time. You could take one just printed and
one that just came out of the washing machine and they would be
identical!

I really understand Al's point of not wanting to be assaulted over a
stupid fare, BUT I also REALLY see Jeff's point(s): I used to drive
for a transit system that really frowned big time on fare evasion. A
nickel here & there ok, but no fare or 27cents- later! It's been
very hard to readapt myself to let these jokers get away with this
crap when you have other hard working people sitting behind them who
paid the fare, some of them scarping it together, to have them watch
me let this idiot ride cause he's is scamming the system--AGAIN. And
like alot of you, I am of the frame of mind that if you really
are "down on your luck" or need a ride and you ask me BEFORE you try
to scam me, you have a 90% chance of getting on with no problems and
I will probably even give you a transfer (hell, with some, I've even
issued day passes). BUT, if you try to scam me FIRST, then you want
me to let you ride AFTER you have been caught trying to screw with my
intelligence..

You folks have a great day...I've been reading daily (some really
good posts guys, don't lose the passion...) but have been quiet for
far too long. Gotta get active again. Remember, rubber side down
and keep 'er betwen the little white lines!

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