Dodging Train Fare

JackJack Regular
edited July 2010 in Man Cave
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Dallas

Dallas Area Rapid Transit

On DART light rail trains there's not really any proactive security. You can get on and no one checks to see if you ever bought a ticket. The DART Police do check tickets sometimes. Guidelines:

- There are usually a pair of them, maybe up to 4. I never see enough to cover the entire train.
- They board at one station and get off at the next.
- One cop boards each car and walks through it checking everyone's ticket.
- If you stand in the stairwell which will face the next station platform (it can vary) you can usually see them waiting on the platform. Get off when the train stops and board the next one after making sure more pigs aren't getting on.
- Don't try to cheap out and buy a reduced pass because the pig will want your DART reduced ID or a student ID or whatever. Just pay up or don't get caught.
- If you get caught they'll write you a ticket etc. etc., I don't really know because I'm not dumb enough to get caught but if you are, tell us all about it.
- Be careful around rush hours. 0600-0900 and 1600-1900 (generous windows) are more dangerous because there are more people, meaning more people who didn't pay, meaning the pigs check more trains. If you're one of 5 people in the whole car in the middle of the day you probably have nothing to worry about (but stand in the stairwell and watch anyway).
- I've never seen them check trains late at night, past 2100 or so. Could be because I never rode the trains much past that time, but still, worth noting.
- Be careful between and around Mockingbird and Cityplace stations. Cops like to use the area surrounding the underground Cityplace station (where they have a large office), and take advantage of the darkness of Cityplace, to catch people unawares. Mockingbird has a bunch of retarded structures and shit for them to hide behind.
- DART Police are real cops with guns and shit and will probably chase you if you run (not certain).
- You can probably get a used day pass off some random shithead in the street for a buck toward his next rock instead of paying $4. Or just find one lying around. Make sure it's for the right day or the cop will think you're trying to pull one over.

Trinity Railway Express

I haven't used the TRE much in a couple of years. When I used it semi-regularly, no one ever checked my ticket. TRE uses the same passes/tickets as DART does (so you could take a bus to light rail, train to TRE, real train to Ft. Worth, etc.) It's not DART police checking tickets but what looks like a TRE employee, probably just a general train-maintaining sort of person who also checks tickets. When I used to ride TRE, someone once told me that I should expect them to check my ticket about once a month if I ride every day. He was an office drone so I assume he meant round-trip commute.

More recently, the one time I rode TRE in quite a while (at least a year) a TRE employee went through and checked everyone's ticket. Turns out I had the wrong pass because the normal day pass doesn't cover TRE anymore. They made me get out at the next station and I had to run to the ticket machine to get a new one before the train left. Either this is an isolated coincidence or you should now expect to be checked every time. They certainly have enough time to check every train car after every station because it is a longer-distance train.

I haven't tried any fare-dodging on TRE but the train cars are large and two-level, so you could board the last car at the end, top level, and watch for someone working their way to the back checking tickets, then slip downstairs and go under them, and come out upstairs behind them. I don't know if they always work front to back though, or if there's someone doing the downstairs at the same time. I doubt there's anyone who really needs to dodge TRE fare here, but if you do I guess you could figure something out.

Comments

  • grayboygrayboy Acolyte
    edited July 2010
    Is it really that complicated- just go hide at back? :D Pay if you have to.
  • JackJack Regular
    edited July 2010
    I got carried away replying to this thread on Cocklet and wanted to post it where people give a shit.

    Besides, maybe the back is where the guard hides and you'll get hit first
  • PsyntheticPsynthetic Regular
    edited July 2010
    Chicago Metra

    -Lay down on the top level.

    -Get up and go to the bathroom when the dude comes into your car.


    That's all I've got lol. Very effective.
  • AzureAzure Acolyte
    edited July 2010
    The GO train system in the GTA is notoriously easy to ride for free; I used to do it all the time.

    If you get busted by one of the plain-clothes or walk-on ticket checkers, then you're slapped with a hundred and something dollar fine if you don't have a ticket;which only costs like 4 bucks.

    Is it really worth it?
  • monotonedmonotoned Acolyte
    edited July 2010
    If you and a couple of friends are going somewhere, buy one ticket and hide in the bathroom. When the guy comes and ask for your ticket, stick your hand out with the ticket.
  • MegaKushMegaKush Regular
    edited July 2010
    Here in Los Angeles people do this all the time on the Metro rails. Occasionaly guards will come on the train and ask each passenger to show their pass, more commonly they stand at the exits of the stations waiting to catch you as you exit the train. If you are white they will most likely give you a warning only, since so many people do it. I know for a fact that more people ride it for free than pay the fare.

    If you get caught by them your best alibi is "I didnt know i had to pay before i got on, i thought i had to pay after. i am new to this city and mass transit. I was on my way to go pay my fare at the machine."

    Theres not really a good way to dodge them but when they are patrolling the station exits you can go to the other exit if theres not a cop there, or blend in with a mob of people and slip past the guard.

    Another funny alibi is "Take me to the Macedonian embassy. I will not speak to anyone other than someone from the Macedonian embassy". say it in fractured english with a totally serious face and theres no reason why it wont work
  • AzureAzure Acolyte
    edited July 2010
    The following coins supposedly work on the NY subway in lieu of tokens:

    Danish 25 ore
    Portuguese 50 centavo
    Jamaican half penny
    Bahama penny
    Australian schilling
    French WWII era 1 Franc
    Spanish 10 centavo
    Nicuaraguan 25 centavo

    Any NY'ers here to confirm this?
  • PukeratPukerat Acolyte
    edited July 2010
    To Op I know There are Pretty much Always Dart Popos At the mocking bird station cause thats were i get off. I got check 4 times in one ride to garland by them fucks. Thank god i bought a ticket that day. Some times they don't even check everyones ticket though i seen one chick that only did like a spot check like one out of three.

    Oh yeah the parker rd station I have never been checked for a ticket. I used to go that way all the time to see my girl
  • JackJack Regular
    edited July 2010
    Oh yeah, definitely. By the time you get north, probably to White Rock to be safe, there's pretty much never anything at all because people who live in that area don't bother to skip the transit fare. I have never seen them check stations at the south end either, but that's probably because they'd have to fine half the train.
  • Stoned CrowStoned Crow Semo-Regulars
    edited July 2010
    On the Chicago Metra if you are on the top level you can pretend like you're sleeping and the officers (usually) never bother you. I've seen alot of people get away with it, so, why not?
  • PukeratPukerat Acolyte
    edited July 2010
    Lol I seen some dude getting a ticket the other day. It was too funny and i didn't have my fare paid and I asked the dart guy that issued the ticket were i could get something the drink at the mocking bird station and he didn't even check my ticket but he checked amost everyone.
  • VermicideVermicide Regular
    edited July 2010
    Haven't payed for a train ticket for years. Over here they always have a conductor going up and down the train after each stop asking for tickets, if it's a busy train I just sit in a window seat and either pretend I'm sleeping or don't make eye contact with the conductor - usually they think you've been on a while. Hiding in the toilet is always good too.
  • JackJack Regular
    edited July 2010
    Pukerat wrote: »
    Lol I seen some dude getting a ticket the other day. It was too funny and i didn't have my fare paid and I asked the dart guy that issued the ticket were i could get something the drink at the mocking bird station and he didn't even check my ticket but he checked amost everyone.

    Fuck off, Mockingbird station isn't manned.
  • LethargicaLethargica Regular
    edited July 2010
    Is it possible to produce a counterfeit ticket? How to the DART police check tickets. Do you flash it in their face? or do they have an interface that actually checks for authentication?
  • JackJack Regular
    edited July 2010
    The bus passes are magnetic strip cards, but the passes you get at train stations are just the same thing with the date printed on so you could counterfeit that probably. They usually just look at it but it should feel real just in case.
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