Friday, April 27, 2007

Commuter checks for sale

Here's a quick followup to yesterday's article: Commuter checks for sale and wanted on Craigslist.

While we're talking scams and transportation, here's another common one: You can cut the magnetic strip on a BART ticket, cut it into smaller strips and create multiple new BART tickets. For those not familiar with BART in the San Francisco Bay Area, entry into and exit from the BART platform is my sliding tickets with magnetic stripes through an automatic ticket reader that opens a gate.

Other transit providers in the Bay Area use visual inspection, though I'm sure there are folks creating ticket forgeries.

Since I'm writing about Bay Area transit...
  • While Caltrain and BART raises fares to cover increased operating costs, VTA considers reducing fares to boost ridership. Caltrain and BART are often filled to capacity and are able to charge more, while VTA buses and light rail often run empty.
  • The Bay Area Air Quality Management District hasn't decided yet how they will manage free transit on "Spare the Air" days. Over the past few years, free transit has been offered on several days when unhealthy levels of ozone is forecast. The Air Quality District is considering reducing the benefit to a half day of free transit on the more expensive trains and ferries while continuing to offer a full day of free rides on Bay Area buses.

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