This week, we're going to change things up a bit and go all History Channel on you as we explore the history of Muni Security. Next week, we'll go back to the usual responses to the various questions.
The unit has been around since 1999, created to handle mostly fare evasion or Proof of Payment "POP" starting with a group of approximately 20 persons-all transfers from other places in MUNI and most, ADA transfers. All POP occur on the trains only.
This initial group has been interesting, with attitudes like most drivers that people complain about. More interesting that there was no one holding the personnel accountable for their actions. POP inspectors are represented by Local 250-A, the same union that represents the Operators (drivers and cable car conductors / gripmen).
The unit was initially overseen by Michael Hursh, who left in 2005 to another transit agency. Since August 2006, the person overseeing security is SFPD Deputy Chief Antonio Parra
Anyway...
Fare evasion, according to outside study panels (2005-2006) from UC Berkeley has noted that the evasion was between 55 to 73 percent. I think it's a little high due to the fact that the surveyors asked people for information, a lot did not cooperate and that was counted as a non payment. I believe overall, it's still on the high side but more at about 55 percent.
Since 1999 to 2004, the average UNIT inspection rate was about 200 citations issued a month (200 divided by 20 persons over 30 days per month), which is NOT a lot. Since 2004-2005, the UNIT average is up to approximately 1,200 citations per month. 1,500 divided by 35 people over 30 days). Recently, we trained and released 9 new fare inspectors to work in the field, each partnered with a more experienced fare inspector. There have never been any type of quotas set or implied but focusing the fare inspectors on their job duties and responsibilites.
What's the difference? Good supervision, job expectations set and holding our personnel accountable for their actions (or inactions).
Have you seen any fare inspectors goofing off? going shopping while on duty (in uniform?), taking extended breaks? seen them out of the subway / train areas? If you have, We want to know about it. We promote accountability, responsibility, treating the public with respect (as appropriate).
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I have noticed a lot more inspectors recently, usually on the t or the n, ( I don't ride the buses). They are polite efficent, and 9 times out of ten, I see them catch one offender on each sweep through a carriage. I hate it when I see folks sneaking onto muni, so thanks for catching them (or at least some of them)....
20*35=700 shifts per month.
That's barely more than 2 citations per shift (unless they are part time). Even if they are all half time, that's 4 per 8 hr shift. Is that all they can manage?
if fare evasion is 55-73% of all riders why doesn't muni management do something? I don't have a solution but as a small business owner, if 55-73% of my customers were stealing I'd sure as shoot do something about it.
if fare evasion is 55-73% of all riders why doesn't muni management do something? I don't have a solution but as a small business owner, if 55-73% of my customers were stealing
Because, unlike your business, the marginal cost to Muni of another unpaid rider is basically zero?
Fares are a very small portion of Muni's budget. The cost of more inspectors trades off with fare revenue, and the current number is probably close to optimal for Muni.
Fare inspectors should be able to transfer between trains a lot more efficiently than they do -- they should be on the trains 90% of the time, not the platforms.
Can Muni give them portable NextBus monitors so they can see when the next train is coming the other way?
Any claim of 55+% fare evasion is simply BS. This doesn't even pass the laugh test.
Is this "Muni Security Guy" for real -- because no real fare inspector encounters more than half of all fares inspected to be invalid or nonexistent -- or is somebody pulling SFist's leg here?
What seems to be misquoted and misinterpreted was the SHOCK HORROR
statement in a 27 Feb 2007 story in the Chroniclehttp : //www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/02/27/MNGP8OBREQ1.DTL
Note that "not showing a pass" is absolutely NOT the same thing as "not having a valid fare".
As any Muni fare inspector should know.
I certainly feel no need to detour to the the far end of Muni's ill-conceived downtown stations just to wave my perfectly valid transfer under a disinterested station agent's nose.
Note that in a competently administered and policed system (Muni is neither) actual fare evasion rates are maintained well under 5%, that being the trade-off between the vastly improved operating efficiency (expect at Muni) and lower capital costs (except at Muni) of POP against a small and controllable level of evasion. Of course, such systems (unlike Muni) actually make it simple and desirable and worth-while and non-frustrating to buy long-period (weekly, daily, monthly, yearly) passes.
(PS The very idea of having expensive fare gates and stupid, useless station agents in booths at all is ridiculous: getting rid of such obsolesence and expense and impediments is why Proof of Payment exists in advanced civilized first world democracies. Naturally, Muni is "designing" its wonderful Central Subway to require fare barriers, at an extra cost of a few hundred mission dollars ... that's somewhere north of $20k/day in sales and income tax dollars subsidy to build useless underground structures to "increase" fare revenue. Unbelievable, but true.
But then it's not as if we expect anybody even remotely connected with Muni or the SF Transportation Authority to be able to perform even the most elementary arithmetic or to care about value for money.
Hop on the Central Subway gravy train! Remember: the bigger the public failure and the worse the squandering of public funds, the better the private rewards!)
Can nothing be done about the people poaching free rides on the buses? (They usually force their way in through the rear doors. The bus drivers do what they can... sometimes.) But, I see fare inspectors all over the train system while up on the streets of San Francisco bus-ride poaching is rampant and not decreasing at all. A little math tells me that there's money to be made/collected/fined and collected there... just a little math.
I've noticed a spike in not only people coming in the back doors on the bus, but bringing their bike with them! Usually it is a small BMX bike, but it takes up the room of 4 people, if not more. The bus has bike racks, but I guess you'd have to have valid fare to go that route!
I've also seen regular sized bikes being taken onto the second car of the N. Luckily, the cyclists do it during non-rush periods and at least stow it against the opposing door.
I see lots of fare inspectors on the J Church these days. They usually get one or no people, so the 55% fare evasion claim is laughable. It is more like 2-5% on the J.
Often they "catch" someone who has already paid and not gotten their transfer, or some similar person. In that case, they usually let them off with a warning. They seem reasonable and courteous to me.
Bringing bikes on the Muni trains is a no no. It don't matter where or when they stick it. Our sexy Breda Ferrari cars are simply not designed to accommodate nonfoldable bikes. If you get some internal bike racks like the fugly Kinkisharyo trains that VTA uses, then maybe... I'm not holding my breath.
Regarding the popcopprs: Bring them on! We need the frickin' swat team k9 unit here yesterday. Muni has been severely understaffed in the security department for years and the riders know it, yo. Look at all the other big transit systems and they get their own damn police forces. We get meter maids! No offense security guy - I'm not insulting your security prowess.
Most people don't need a police officer to keep them in line, but the drunk fucks, dealers and troublemakers do. Pop cops are a good presence, we need more of them in the system (especially in the buses) but they don't have the authority to throw people in jail - and the public knows it.
Looking at NPF's history at Atlanta's MARTA, he had a full force of transit police at his disposal. The increase in MTA security forces since his arrival is undoubtedly a sign of things to come. Don't worry you silly pig-haters, I don't see our kooky boardosupes approving anything draconian in the near future. What we may eventually see is a flashmob of gumming ritas (not sfistrita, but like the beatles' one) to save the day and keep your daily transit suckafree. I can't wait.