ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[ijmorlan]

How do you think fares should be collected?

I mean, it’s perfectly colorable to argue that there should be turnstiles at the stations or something, but if it’s proof of payment there needs to be inspection at some point.

Is it anti-transit to have to prove you have paid every time you board? That is the system used for buses.

I know you know the difference between walking through a turnstile and being approached by a uniformed officer and being required to produce proof of payment.

I would much prefer fare paid zones, but even just turning back the dial on the frequency of fare inspections would help. I've had my fare inspected on GO transit (which I ride probably 1/10 as often as GRT) once in 3 years...

And for that matter, start enforcing the rules of the road, where people are actually killed.

Oh, and stop enforcing fares while our fare payment system is in shambles.

These are all good points. That being said, I don’t see what is wrong with having to present ones ticket/card sometimes; I think the right response to these points is to fix the other thing — enforce the rules of the road, fix the fare devices, etc. — rather than necessarily to change the fare enforcement method. Although if it is common to be enforced multiple times in a single trip then I can agree that maybe they are doing more than is necessary.