The Hudson-Bergen Light Rail line, which just celebrated its fifth year in operation, has accomplished something besides getting residents across North Hudson cheaply – it’s also helped police catch fare evaders who were also wanted for other crimes.
However, at the same time, riders with no records have also learned the hard way that the seemingly easy-to-beat ticketing system is not so easy to beat.
The light rail system, which presently runs from Bayonne through Weehawken but eventually will run into Bergen County, operates on a Proof-of-Purchase system (POP), which means that after passengers purchase ticket(s), they have to get their ticket stamped in a validation machine, where it is rendered valid for 90 minutes.
Some passengers have simply hopped on the train for free, with no police in sight – and later been caught at a different station.
Dan Stessel, a spokesman for NJ Transit, said that since the beginning of this year, there have been 213,740 unannounced inspections resulting in 1,804 summonses.
For passengers unaware of how the system works, there are signs in the stations warning of a potential fine of up to $100 if a validated ticket is not provided.
So far, fare evaders have turned out to be a mix of wanted men and local professionals who simply thought they would get away with it.Paying the price for not paying
“Bo,” a Union City financial professional, got a $78 ticket recently in Hoboken when he jumped onto a platform without a pass.
“On a few occasions during the winter, when it was ridiculously cold, I would try to ride the light rail from the Hoboken PATH to the Ninth Street Elevator [to go up the hill to Union City] without validating a ticket I had purchased weeks beforehand,” Bo said. “There are few cops around late at night and it seemed easy. I figured the cops were only around during rush hours.”
But Bo’s run of luck ended. “Upon entering the train one night,” he said, “I saw two cops standing right there and tried to immediately retrace my steps, but they could tell when someone is on the train without a ticket. That’s why they were there. I showed them my unvalidated ticket and told them I forgot to validate. They confiscated it and wrote me a ticket with a fine to the tune of $78.
Apparently, the second you step on a light rail train without a validated ticket, you are breaking the law. I never stepped on a train without a validated ticket afterwards.”
Bo learned his lesson, but there are some who have had to pay much more than a $78 ticket.
Bayonne police officers, assigned to patrol specifically the Bayonne section of the light rail in tandem with NJ Transit, have caught a number of people without tickets who turned out to be in possession of drugs or have warrants out for previous transgressions. One man owed $13,000 in fines for other transgressions.
According to police in Bayonne:
* Carlos Pena of Bayonne was charged with possession of narcotics paraphernalia, possession of a hypodermic needle, and fare evasion after he allegedly failed to purchase a ticket and was stopped by police at the 34th Street station Feb. 13. Pena was found to have outstanding warrants from Jersey City, South Plainfield, Carteret and Bayonne with fines in excess of $13,000, police said.
* Ayinde Ashante of Bayonne was charged with possession of cocaine and heroin as well as fare evasion after being stopped by police at the 34th Street Light Rail Station on Feb. 17. The cocaine allegedly fell out of Ashante’s pocket when he attempted to find a ticket for the train. Police said a search allegedly found heroin in Ashante’s jacket pocket.
* Elijah Hilliard of Bayonne was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon and fare evasion on Jan 14, after police checked to see if he had a paid ticket. A search of Hilliard, police said, uncovered a folding knife.
* On March 11, Gregory Williams of Jersey City was charged with fare evasion when he allegedly could not produce a ticket at the 34th Street Station. After the arrest, according to police, the officers discovered Williams also had $2,807 in outstanding fines due to Jersey City and another $100 to Bayonne. Maybe ‘Bo’ got off easy
And then there’s Dave, a stockbroker who took the light rail from the Pavonia-Newport light rail station to the 34th Street Station in Bayonne one recent evening. Dave was interviewed while riding the train last week.
“I got on the light rail once without a ticket because, as I later explained to the inspectors, I didn’t want to break a $50 bill and get back 48 tokens,” Dave said. “But they didn’t want to hear that, and I received a ticket for $100.”
Some are able to save money legitimately. Maria Alvez, a housecleaner who works in Hoboken, was interviewed last week as she was heading home to Bayonne. Traveling for the past four years on the light rail, Alvez uses a $53 monthly pass that allows her to travel on all NJ Transit bus, train and light rail lines.
She admitted that she once rode the light rail with her monthly pass expired and didn’t realize it until she was in transit. She has also seen her share of commuters being caught without a valid ticket.
“There are people who do get caught, most times in the morning during rush hour or in the evening, usually trying to be slick,” said Alvez.
Alvez also said that inspectors appear every once in a while. “You’ll see two, sometimes three every day for a week, then you won’t see them for three, four weeks,” said Alvez.
Monika Harmulowicz, who works in Hoboken, said there should be more police around the tracks for safety reasons.
“I rode the light rail one night with my husband next to me, and I looked around me and there was hardly anyone on the train,” said Harmulowicz. “And there were no inspectors or police. It doesn’t feel safe.” There are inspectors, but when least expected
Dan Stessel, a spokesman for NJ Transit, said last week that there are inspectors checking the trains every day at various times from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. when the light rail is in operation.
“We don’t disclose when the inspectors are deployed; it changes so that they can be deployed without passengers expecting them,” said Stessel, referring to the practice as “tactical deployment” that keeps possible fare evaders guessing.
He added, “This is also done so that inspectors are not complacent.”
Stessel said that there is a reason why there isn’t the barrier system like turnstiles. “We wanted to make it an integrated part of the street,” said Stessel.
Stessel said “dozens” of fare inspectors work on the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail. He said that as far as warnings to unticketed passengers, when the light rail line first started, there was a grace period to allow passengers to become acclimated to the system.
Stessel also said inspectors don’t always board at the first station in the line but will come on at another station, do their inspections, then get off after three or four stops.
Stessel said an average of 18,000 passengers per day ride on the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail.
Based on the random inspections, the fare evasion rate for this year has been 1.84 percent, Stessel said. He noted that it doesn’t make financial sense to try to beat the fare.
“Passengers who thought they could beat the system would need more than 60 successful trips to wipe out one ticket,” said Stessel.
Stessel said with the summer months coming, there will be stepped up inspections, particularly on Fridays and Saturdays when there are the most cases of fare evasion.