#Faregate - Twitter Hashtag

4 months ago

🚆No narrative about #FareEvasion is complete without station hardening. DID THE BOARD SUPPORT FARE GATE REPLACEMENT? Yes and No. Some more than others. It was a mixed bag of political posturing for years. In 2017, I began #BART Board service as a champion for #FareGate replacement and station hardening. While other Directors talked about employing far more civilian workers to address drug use, crime and homelessness in the system, I was saying replace the fare gates, raise the railings, lock the emergency gates, enforce fare evasion. In 2017-2018, the board narrative usually went something like, "let's just make #transit free and we won't have to spend all our money on enforcing the fare and on police". In 2017, Director Simon said about fare dodgers in a meeting, "just leave those poor folks alone" and admitted being a fare evader herself as it was "a cultural thing". Thankfully thinking evolved over the years as the system became dirtier and more dangerous under this thinking and the riders rose up. But it didn't have to be that way for so long. By fall 2019, all 9 directors agreed (some reluctantly) to direct staff to move forward with complete fare gate replacement to end the embarrassing gyrations of BART-invented fare gate fixes put forth by summer interns like "guillotine" and "head knocker" gates. That ridiculousness helped move the decision along as directors were so embarrassed by what staff had done in prototypes. Also, the public was reeling from a high-profile murder in the system in 2018 by a known serial fare evading homeless man. The family sued and got a large 7 figure payout. But after the vote to move forward, directors said, "Yeah we approved it, but we don't have the money" inferring it wasn't a priority. BART DID have the money, in the 2016 Measure RR funds, but they prioritized it on other things like bike and pedestrian projects and Link21. The project moved along slowly and It wasn't until BART was lobbying for state bailout funding in 2023-2024 when the federal money ran out, that BART suddenly found the money to get it done, because completion of the fare gates was tied to added state bailout funding. Note to Voters: It's amazing what withholding funding from BART can accomplish. There is still some fare evasion today through low railings and piggybacking, though substantially reduced. Still, many people report on social media watching police officers witness the other forms of fare evasion and doing nothing. Where is the new board on a vote for controlling fare evasion further? Or is new fare gates good enough?🧵6/

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Cubic Transportation Systems

@CubicTS

about 1 year ago

Teamwork makes the dream work @UITP Stand A3320 | #UITP Summit Hamburg #Cubic #OpenPayments #FareGate #AI #FareCollection #PublicTransport #UITP2025

CubicTS's tweet photo. Teamwork makes the dream work @UITP Stand A3320 | #UITP Summit Hamburg
#Cubic #OpenPayments #FareGate #AI #FareCollection #PublicTransport #UITP2025 https://t.co/RORE1Zalue

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Phi Ly @phily498

over 1 year ago

@CubicTS Cubic Transportation Systems FEnX fare gate. @MTA @metrolosangeles Discussion about between go on green and fare evasion with loitering on red (warning). #faregate

phily498's tweet photo. @CubicTS Cubic Transportation Systems FEnX fare gate. @MTA @metrolosangeles Discussion about between go on green and fare evasion with loitering on red (warning). #faregate https://t.co/bX0ImpWrA3

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Debora Allen

@debora_allen1

about 2 years ago

Closest I came to full credit for @SFBART #FareGate project was a mention in a 2019 board meeting by former BART Director McPartland who pegged me as a “dog with a bone” on fare gate replacement. Another #badge!

Marc Joffe

@marcjoffe

about 2 years ago

@the_transit_guy Fare gate hardening was a long-time priority for Director @debora_allen1 who has been consistently demonized by the progressive majority on the BART board and in the Bay Area political/media establishment. She should get full credit for this commonsense policy.

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Debora Allen

@debora_allen1

over 2 years ago

Another homicide near BART gates: Until we get #faregate replacement at all ⁦⁦@SFBART⁩ stations, along with reversing the spiraling down numbers of #police officers, ⁦@SFBART⁩ will never be any more safe than the street outside. https://t.co/U3htmAescj

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Debora Allen

@debora_allen1

over 2 years ago

I was passed over again this week for the @SFBART Board Prez rotation. No worries, I’ll have more time to continue what I’ve worked on for over 7 years, like expedited #faregate replacement, the #CFO finance reorg, far more #lawenforcement, expanded #OIG #audits and #investigations of #fraud and conflicts in contracting and employment, 1/🧵 https://t.co/kAcVWH3QKV

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Debora Allen

@debora_allen1

over 3 years ago

Its a good start and great PR campaign, but not sustainable without considerable increases in @BARTpoliceOA hiring. Only one pool of #police officers. The 18 more on urban core trains = 18 less in the outer areas. #Faregate replacement is L/T answer.

Eliyahu Kamisher @eli_kamisher

over 3 years ago

News: Starting mid-March @sfbart will more than double foot patrols by reassigning officers from vehicle assignments. "We’re saying to BART police, instead of being in your car hanging out, be in the system – walk and say hi to people.” https://t.co/Q7SncIuZwv

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