A Failed Fare-Beater Finds That Red Line’s Honor System Works

On Thursday, I took a ride on the wild side.

Call me a scofflaw, swindler, sneak, scoundrel or unabashed malefactor.

I’ll ‘fess up to the crime. I defied the Red Line’s “honor system,” brazenly slipping onto a subway train without paying the mere fare of a quarter.

It was a bold, impudent move, a brush with danger, a taste of life on the edge. Some might say irresponsible, morally bankrupt, a breach of civic duty. But the temptation to test the philosophy governing this historic new transit system was simply too great.

This is not just a new subway for Los Angeles, but--to the disbelief of grizzled commuters across the nation--one without turnstiles or gates.

Mind you, I’m a pretty regular law-abiding kind of guy. My speedometer might inch toward 70 every now and then on the freeway. I’ve been known to jaywalk on occasion, though I always look both ways before crossing.

To pull it off, I needed to take a deep breath, steel my nerves and call on the untamed man inside.

With my confidence shored up, I strode swiftly past the red and blue tiled walls of the MacArthur Park station. A transit cop on the platform looked my way. I feigned nonchalance and studied the artwork, all the while fishing in my pocket for an imaginary ticket.

Mercifully, the gleaming steel train arrived before the officer saw my sheepish grin. I hopped on, took a seat in the corner and waited for the strong pull of the electric motor to carry me safely away. Back and forth, forth and back, I rode the rails with impunity.

Hey, this was easy, I thought. I’ve got the system beat. Nothing to sweat. Maybe I’ll do boxcars next.

But as most outlaws do, I eventually stumbled. My imperfect crime was exposed at the Civic Center station, where a cop named Rodriguez spotted me shiftily traversing the platform.

I felt the blood rush to my head as he asked for the ticket.

The shame. The degradation. The horror. “You mean, uh, they’re charging now?” I lamely responded.

Fortunately, the majority of folks riding Los Angeles’ first modern subway have displayed far more conscientiousness.

Sylvia Vigo, 36, a clerk in Los Angeles County Superior Court, was horrified that someone might flaunt such a transgression. Riding the subway during her lunch hour Thursday, on her way to file her income taxes, she said: “We must be honest--at least honest to ourselves--whether they ask for the ticket or not.”

Over at Union Station, Johnny Villalva, a 31-year-old drummer from Eagle Rock, proudly showed off the bus transfer that transit police had asked to see just minutes before. “It’s not worth the consequences,” he said when asked about skirting the fare. “Besides, it’s about time somebody trusted somebody in this town.”

The Southern California Rapid Transit District Police Department, which is responsible for patrolling the subway trains and stations, plans on asking at least one of every four riders to show proof of their fare.

For now, while the one-way trip remains at 25 cents, officers have been instructed not to write citations for fare dodgers, said Capt. Dennis Conte, who heads the department’s Operations Bureau. But once the full fare kicks in next month--with an anticipated price of $1.10--transit police will take a sterner tack, Conte said.

First violations will carry a warning. Repeat offenders will face a fine of up to $250.

“I think most of these people have it in their head already,” Officer Leonard Avila said as he rode the subway Thursday morning. He, like other transit officers, said only one or two of every 300 people he approached has been riding without proper fare.

The experience on the Blue Line, where riders had their introduction to the honor system two years ago, has already shown that Los Angeles commuters are a trustworthy lot. With more than 1 million passengers a month, officials say the rate of noncompliance is usually less than 0.5%.

“It probably doesn’t hurt that it’s a real policeman with a real gun asking for the fare,” said Red Line rider Jerome Godard-Godefroy, a New York-based reporter for a Paris radio station who is in town covering the Rodney G. King beating trial.

Officer Rodriguez, a real policeman with a real gun, had heard it all before. He seemed to have little interest in my sorry excuse, that feeble stab at ignorance.

Go upstairs and buy yourself a ticket, he said. Shaken and humbled, I retreated. At the fare machine, I popped in a quarter, then came back down with ticket in hand so he could note how dutifully I had followed his order.

Hoping to be redeemed for my misdeeds, I stopped at several more stations, purchasing a ticket each time. I wanted to shout out to every officer I saw, to come look at my legally purchased fare, see the ticket that I had once so insolently rejected.

But now that I had one, no one asked.

HOW TO RIDE THE RED LINE:

The Metro Red Line is operated by the RTD. During the introductory period this month, the fare is 25 cents . Regular fare will be $1.10 beginning in March. Monthly RTD passes are accepted. Tickets can be purchased from machines in stations along the route.

1. Select type of ride: One way, train only (yellow ticket) One way, train with a transfer (blue ticket) Round trip, train only (yellow ticket) 2. Insert money or tokens: Machines take nickels, dimes, quarters and $1 and $5 bills. No pennies. Change is given in coin. Tokens, available where RTD passes are sold, can be used once regular fares begin. There are no change machines in stations. 3. Take ticket: Tickets are good for two hours at any station; after that, a ticket is good only for return to the station where it was purchased. 4. Board train at station platform: There are no turnstiles or ticket-takers. Passengers ride on the honor system. Transit police, on station platforms and in cars, periodically check for tickets. Riders without tickets are subject to a $250 fine. Elderly or handicapped people should push “handicapped” button for a lower fare. TRANSFERS: 1. Blue Line passengers: Transfer to Red Line at 7th Street station. Buy transfers with Blue Line tickets. 2. Red Line passengers: During introductory period, must pay full fare when transferring to Blue Line or buses. When regular Red Line fares begin in March, 25 transfers can be purchased at ticket machines. 3. Metrolink passengers: Use Metrolink passes or tickets for transfer to the Red Line or some buses. 4. RTD bus passengers Purchase 25 Red Line or Blue Line transfers when they purchase bus tickets. Compiled by Times researcher NONA YATES Source: Southern California Rapid Transit District.