Very interesting conversation so far. I've seen fare evasion rise over the last few years. (Tied to economic downturn? Or perhaps evaders now know that many stations don't have attendants and there are no consequences?)

Now that I've been seeing all the local news coverage about the fare hikes and route closures, I think this is very topical. However, at the end of the day, my guess (completely unscientific and unfounded) is that evaders make up a very very very small portion of the T ridership.

This thread got me thinking though...what SHOULD I do if I see fare evasion? Certainly doesn't seem like a matter for MBTA police since fare evasion is a non-criminal offense. So I decided to call MBTA this morning. After being on hold for ~20 min, got through to a customer service rep. The rep confirmed that one should NOT call MBTA transit police nor should one try to confront the evader. Apparently the proper method of reporting fare evasion is to call customer service with the time/date/station. I also asked if evasion should be reported to a station attendant (if present) or to the train operator. The answer was "sure, I guess you could do that too..."

Again, without really knowing how big the financial impact of fare evasion is, I can't pass judgment on the MBTA. I know that they, like any other company, have to prioritise how they resource and monetise their business. (Frankly, my bar is pretty low...I'm just glad that compared to most public transit systems I've taken in the US and the rest of the world, I've always felt very safe on MBTA trains and buses.)

A $15 fee is a weak deterrent to fare evaders. Should be like Germany with their 40 Euro fees.

Depending on the operator it can be as high as CHF 120 in Switzerland. That's $130. People would soon think twice if they were risking that.

Neil

Well, the fare they are evading in Switzerland is probably more than $1.70 haha

Well, apparently the MBTA is cracking down on fare evaders - on the commuter rail . LINK

Edit to add: And the green line too! ^ LINK

What's funny is, the last couple times I've been on the commuter rail, they never made it to me to collect the cash. I was sitting in my seat, perfectly happy to hand the guy cash, but he would get halfway down the car and turn around to be at the door for another stop. Just lucky? Or have I discovered the magic seat of free travel?

That happened to me yesterday. I think the trick is to not buy a ticket for the commuter rail beforehand, and just pay on the train. If they miss you, that's their fault and not yours, since you fully intended to pay. They definitely profile people though. They made the dodgy looking fool that I was sitting next to me pay up, but never asked me ha.

If you don't mind the $2 surcharge for buying your ticket on board, you can do this and pray.

Or hide in the bathroom!

My husband takes the commuter rail daily, and he's seen them put a few people off at the next stop when they couldn't prove they had paid. I'm not sure what they would do if the person was willing to pay up after being caught, however.