LA Metro Tests Tap Out Pilot Program To Crack Down On Free Rides

L.A. Metro is rolling out a new pilot program Tuesday that will require people to tap out to exit the North Hollywood B Line Station.

Everyone is already required to tap their cards to enter, but the agency said in a statement that it’s trying to crack down on fare evasion and improve safety by making sure people pay to use the transit system.

L.A. Metro has also increased the number of staff at the station, including Metro Ambassadors and Transit Security Officers, to help navigate and enforce the change.

Jose Ubaldo, a communications manager for the agency, told LAist this week will be an educational grace period before staff starts to warn, cite, and remove people from the transit system for violating its Code of Conduct.

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He said it’s unfair for those who pay their fare and use the system every day while there are others who don’t pay, and “usually, those are the ones causing more trouble inside the system.”

What to expect from the pilot program

You’ll now be required to tap your card again as you exit the North Hollywood B Line Station.

If you paid your fare, the gates will open and you can continue on your way.

But if you didn’t tap your card to start the trip, you’ll still be charged the fare when you tap out at the turnstiles. Beginning next week, you could also face penalties for violating the agency’s rules and guidelines for fare evasion, Ubaldo noted.

Metrolink riders will have to use their QR code ticket on the optic scanners to exit the station.

The program builds off a public safety pilot that launched at the Westlake/MacArthur Park Station in February and was met with positive feedback from people, according to the agency.

Ubaldo said this will help L.A. Metro gather more information on who is paying their fare, where riders are going, and how many people enter and exit the system.

The practice is new to L.A. Metro, but not for many other major public transit systems across the country, including the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) in Northern California and the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority (WMATA) in the nation’s capital.

How can the pilot improve safety? 

The B Line has seen lots of problems lately, Ubaldo said, including an incident earlier this month in which a contracted security guard was stabbed in the leg by a man allegedly trespassing in the Vermont/Sunset Station. The man died after being shot by a guard in self-defense, Metro confirmed to LAist.

“We've trying to get more information, but it looks like these people who [have] been causing trouble, creating violence, there are people who [don’t] pay the system,” Ubaldo said.

Ubaldo experienced the frustration firsthand Tuesday morning, he said, as several people angrily demanded free access to the station after the tap to exit system was introduced.

“The people who pay the fare, they say nothing, they just go tap in and go to board the trains,” he said. “[Those] are people who need the system, they need to work, they need to go to schools, they need to get medical attention.”

The pilot will run for at least the next 90 days, and once the end of August rolls around, L.A. Metro will take a hard look at the results. Ubaldo said if the program provides more safety and security for everybody, the agency will consider expanding it to other stations as well.

What else is happening at the North Hollywood station?

L.A. Metro said in a statement that many people have asked for increased security and fare enforcement on the transit system, and that’s why you may see more Transit Security Officers at the turnstiles.

They’ve also boosted the number of staff at the North Hollywood Station, including Blue Shirts who can help with the ticket vending machines, Metro Ambassadors, and the agency’s law enforcement partners.

Gated intercoms that connect to the Rail Operations Center will also be available, as well as representatives from L.A. Metro's LIFE program.

“We are listening to your feedback, and this is one of many steps that we are taking to improve safety and cleanliness on your system,” the agency said in a statement.