A joint effort was unveiled Tuesday to combat the disturbing trend of violence plaguing subway transit, which requires passengers to use their fare card to actually leave a subway station.
The program hopes to provide assurance that people on board the trains have actually paid the fare before boarding, which is in direct response to comments from Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna, who recently noted that the majority of people traveling arrested or detained for crime, did not. pay the right fare to board in the first place.
Passengers must use their TAP card to pay the previous amount before boarding a bus or train, and starting Tuesday, passengers exiting the Metro B Line train at the North Hollywood station also had to tap their fare card again to pay the to leave the train. station.
Read more: A timeline of violence on metro buses and trains since early 2024
In addition to the goal of curbing violence, Metro officials say it is an effort to promote riders’ compliance with fare requirements. People who do not pay or adhere to the program may be cited or removed from the system entirely.
Tapping the card upon exit will confirm that the fare for the trip has been paid. Those who do not tap upon entry will be charged when they tap to exit, but may still be subject to a charge or removal from the system for not paying upon entry.
Officials also noted that similar programs already exist for other systems, such as the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) in the San Francisco/Oakland area, the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority and the Metropolitan Atlanta Regional Transit Authority.
“We have also increased our teams’ visible presence at North Hollywood Station,” Metro said in a statement. “These include our Blue Shirts, who provide assistance at our ticket machines, our Metro Ambassadors, who help riders navigate the system, connect you with resources and report issues they encounter, as well as our law enforcement partners and our Transit Security Officers who enforce the Code of Conduct.”
They still noted that they are “listening to your feedback” and that this is one of many steps being taken in hopes of improving both the safety and cleanliness of the transportation system.
The moves come after weeks of truble incidents on board the Metro transport and within their stations, which has resulted in two deaths and multiple hospitalizations since early April.
Last week, the Metro Board approved two motions aimed at increasing passenger safety, calling for the immediate deployment of increased law enforcement on the system and at stations, and exploring possible technological improvements that could be made to buses , trains and stations. at stations.
