No more free ride on LA Metro

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (CA) will start locking turnstiles at four rail stations as part of its system-wide transition to the Transit Access Pass farecard. Locking the turnstiles will help the agency understand how many customers are using TAP cards and how many are still using paper passes. “This will help us time how we will incrementally start to lock all gated stations in the future,” said spokeswoman Jane Matsumoto. To date, Metro’s subway has operated on the honor system, making it easy for riders to walk through the turnstiles without paying; last year the agency estimated that fare evasion cost $5.6 million a year. Faregates will be locked one afternoon a week for four weeks, starting at the end of September. Link to full story in NBC LA.

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