12-05-2019, 01:49 PM
(12-05-2019, 12:56 PM)Coke6pk Wrote: The majority of their job is likely assisting with issues other than fares, and are goodwill ambassadors as well.
Anecdotally, this does not reflect my experience or interactions with ION fare collectors. They've all been pleasant, but very much specifically about whether or not a fare has been paid, and until that question is answered they don't appear to be interested in other conversation. I've seen them transition between trains only a couple of times, but in each case they got off a train and immediately got on the next one to arrive. In stations that service both directions, they've gotten on a differently directed train.
I agree that their jobs involve more than fares and they should be goodwill ambassadors, but fare validation is the bulk of the visible work that they do, in my experience.