ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[danbrotherston]

I have previously been sympathetic to the upset of "chumps pay"...but I eventually got over it, I'm far more concerned with having a good service than ensuring everyone pays...I'm much angrier at wealthier people who avoid paying their fair share and wield excessive amounts of power as a result of wealth...at the end of the day, there is little I can do about assholes poor assholes and they've probably suffered enough anyway...I'm quite privileged.

Possibly some fare inspection is beneficial, but there is no need to have fare inspectors be uniformed security guards working in teams (the few bylaw officers we have don't act in teams), on every fourth train I take, it should be commensurate to the crime. I find the current situation entirely inappropriate.

I'm personally not in favour of free transit or of perceived-free-transit because I don't think that leads to the best societal support for transit. It's kind of that thing which I totally hate but seems to be a thing that humans do where only "deserving" people should be worthy (including of not being hit by a person driving a car). I wish that we didn't do that, but I also think that's where society is at.

In the context of fare inspection and penalties, it would seem like the rational level for the penalty would make the expected cost of not paying slightly more than the cost of paying. One could have exceptions for first-time non-payers etc.

There has also been the thing in society where we have more uniformed presence etc. UK border guards didn't used to be uniformed 20 years ago. Now they are.

I am not in favour of free transit either. But I don't believe the current situation is positive at all, having a fare inspection can be done without the problems in the current system, and shouldn't be done until our payment system is reliable.  And yes, society has definitely become more militarized and more policed, I do not consider this a good thing, or something we should just accept.