Pay your Metra fares

[Busjack]

There are various reports, including here that Metra is encouraging reporting conductors who don't collect fares, including reporting people who outride the zone on their ticket (like someone would know).

Anyway, if you want to report it, it is a 16 question survey, and they ask if your ticket was collected, if you want to fink on yourself. They don't even offer you a chance of a free doughnut if you fill out the survey.

Heck, I would be more likely to report that a conductor charged someone paying on the train for a Zone E when the station was still in Zone D, but I am not a buttinsky.

[trainman8119]

As I see it, it has come out that the person who supposedly claims fares are not being collected is the overpaid consultant Clifford employed, and not passengers. Reading comments after articles, most people, to their credit, don't want anything to do with completing his surveys. Most people say we are lazy, but not many claim we don't colllect $$$.

Supposedly, WBBM did their own check and found everything okay. Clifford would not let it go and instead created more fodder/survey on the website.

It is becoming more apparent with a contract at the end of the year, Clifford is looking for anything to make an issue in negotiations. That and his desire to justify is pal's overinflated salary, when the board is considering renewal. Good thing Wronski at the Trib caught it, or another $250,000 would be wasted. We know with the fare increase agreed upon, the last thing they wanted to do was approve that. As with the Pagano thing, they are hoping that it will go away, and then they will quietly pass it later on when nobody is looking or something more dire comes up.

Remember, nobody was let go in Pagano's wake (except for Tupper who was run out on a rail and was not in his circle of dictatorship). They all got new titles and were passed off by Clifford as a "new regime". It was the same bunch of garbage. So, nothing has changed...for all the so called "reforms" and "ethics", it is, as they say, business as usual.

[Busjack]

Could be the case. However, I did comment on shorts before.

However, the strange thing was that (this has to go back about 9 years) when I rode from Lake Cook to Northbrook (quicker than waiting for the bus or walking), the conductor checked the ticket right away, while when I rode from Lake Cook to CUS, the conductor didn't check the tickets until about Edgebrook. Now, if it had been the other way....

At least knowing that the agent would not then be in the station, I had prepurchased, and thus had a ticket.

[trainman8119]

Could be the case. However, I did comment on shorts before.

However, the strange thing was that (this has to go back about 9 years) when I rode from Lake Cook to Northbrook (quicker than waiting for the bus or walking), the conductor checked the ticket right away, while when I rode from Lake Cook to CUS, the conductor didn't check the tickets until about Edgebrook. Now, if it had been the other way....

At least knowing that the agent would not then be in the station, I had prepurchased, and thus had a ticket.

Actually, that could make sense. When I worked up there and was responsible for covering 3 cars, for example, in order to keep up and knowing what I needed to cover, I would be in a particular car for a zone. So, for example, I may be in the 6th car in zone F, the 5th for Zone E and the 4th for Zone D. Then I would work my way back knowing I would need to get Zones D in the 5th and Zones D and E in the 6th. You may miss a body or 2, but the system pretty much works. Also, especially north, you need to be in certain cars at certain times to cover cars that are not on platforms. So, through all the nonsense that is being reported, there are reasons things happen...but those reasons are never discussed, primarily because those in charge have never been in a position where they have to do the job.

[Busjack]

Actually, that could make sense. When I worked up there and was responsible for covering 3 cars, for example, in order to keep up and knowing what I needed to cover, I would be in a particular car for a zone....

Except that, in the case I described, the train started either at Deerfield or Lake Cook, and IIRC, the conductor opened only one car (afternoon reverse rush train).

Of course, neither that nor working a certain car in a certain zone would prevent people going between cars by opening the car door.

I can sort of understand how that method can keep stuff under control in the a.m. rush where, for instance, some trains load primarily Fox Lake to Deerfield (and accommodate riders at Lake Cook and North Glenview) and alternate trains essentially serve Deerfield to Morton Grove, but unless there is a very small number of short rides within a zone, how do the conductors catch the shorts?

[Guest ctafan630]

I ride the BNSF on a daily basis. I have seen the conductors going through cars on a daily basis to check fair. There have been times when the conductors do not collect fares. This usually happens when there was a delay and the train is SRO in all cars by the time the train left Naperville.\

However I have a friend that takes Metra from Jeff Park to Clybourn or CUS. He has told me fares are not collected about 50% of the time.

I guess it all depends on the route and time of day you are riding.

[Busjack]

Update: It may also depend on the time of day. I'll amend my prior post, at least one of the trips to CUS was at about 1:30 instead of after 3:35.

Of course, If I weren't going downtown at that time, I wonder about the result.

[Busjack]

...

However I have a friend that takes Metra from Jeff Park to Clybourn or CUS. He has told me fares are not collected about 50% of the time.

I guess it all depends on the route and time of day you are riding.

You mean that he isn't complaining that he can't use a CTA Transfer to ride Metra and prefers Metra over the Blue Line? Unbelievable.

In any event, it does depend on the line. On the Milw. N., once you get south of Edgebrook, the people trying to get on or off on the gravel "platforms" are so sparse that the conductor apparently can keep track of them. People must be using the UP lines in the city more extensively.