BART fare evasion has become the cause celebre, with the agency given a blank check for security-theater. A partial list of projects includes $60 million to secure stairwells at night and $18.4 million for new fencing. BART may even spend $200 million replacing faregates with newer models.
According to BART officials, the fare-evasion costs the agency $25 million per year. That might sound like a lot, but in relative terms it is 5% of ridership (which compares favorably to other big city metros).
What if I told you there was another transportation system in the Bay Area with a much worse cheating problem? A large network covering the whole Bay Area, whose evasion rate was a whopping 24 percent?
I’m referring of course to the HOV highway network. MTC studies find that 24% of vehicles in the HOV lane lack the necessary number of passengers.
And whereas BART fare-dodgers don’t slow up trains, HOV cheaters very much clog up highways — to the point where average speeds in the HOV lane have slowed to a crawl. This in turn slows public transit and other buses, with large economic cost.
Unlike BART, the HOV lanes operate on the honor system and there are no plans to change that. So despite the rampant cheating, don’t expect Caltrans to install toll-booths or K-rail to “harden” HOV lanes.
[…] There are bigger problems than fare evasion on BART (Systemic Failure) […]
Yeah except HOV cheaters don’t turn freeways into homeless shelters/shooting galleries.
You realize faregates are security theater, right? There is no faregate design that can keep out junkies and homeless.
Yes, because junkies/homeless can always use a valid ticket.
While they might still allow doubling-up / tailgating, these floor-to-ceiling NYC Subway faregates look impossible to “jump”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgXLASW-bpg
That floor-ceiling type gate would be dangerous in a station evacuation, and does not accommodate bikes/strollers/wheelchairs.
You’re trolling right? This is a bullsh!t article. HOV lanes? Seriously?!?
I have seen many people jump BART gates. I’ve never seen someone jump the MUNI gates. There are probably 100+ cameras in each Market Street Station, a few point to gates. BART should review if my observation is correct. Do the taller MUNI gates, about the same gates as the London Underground, deter jumpers.
And yes, HOV lanes. Not enforced, but need to be.
BART has two major problems – not enough trains at peak commute, and not enough enforcement during off hours.
People don’t want to get on trains where there are loud and potentially menacing yoof or smelly bums or other unpleasantness.