New Counterfeit-Proof Bus Passes to Be Issued

A monthly bus pass that is “extremely expensive” to produce and “extremely difficult” to duplicate will be issued starting Jan. 25, according to Southern California Rapid Transit District officials.

The new passes will cost 7 cents more to produce than the old ones, but the increase will not affect the price of the passes, which will remain at $20, said Bernie Sakmar, business manager of RTD marketing.

The increased use of phony passes has resulted in an estimated loss of $50,000 a month to the RTD during the last year, Sakmar said. Bus drivers have been told to confiscate suspected counterfeit passes, and misdemeanor citations are issued to those using them, RTD Police Chief James Burgess said.

In 1984, RTD police officers made 30 arrests for forgery and counterfeiting, 16 more than the previous year, Burgess said. Those who purchase passes with the knowledge that they may be counterfeit are subject to felony arrest, although Burgess said it is difficult to prove that an individual has prior knowledge.

New Pass Design

The new passes, manufactured in Lancaster, Pa., will be made of plastic-like material, reflect a rainbow when manipulated and have the symbol “A” and a sunburst face. There will be no printed price or date on the passes.

A similar fraud-proof pass was issued in 1982, when monthly passes cost $34 and there was a profit motive for counterfeiters, Sakmar said. But the pass was discontinued when the base price of regular passes was reduced to $20 and the counterfeit problem appeared to be under control, he said.

Consumers can avoid buying possible counterfeits, Sakmar said, by purchasing passes only from the more than 300 authorized RTD outlets.