Instead of the “proof of payment” system, where riders purchase tickets ahead of time and produce their fare cards for roving fare enforcement officers, HealthLine fare inspection will be now done by the vehicle operator at the fare box in the front of the bus.
RTA asked that riders continue using the ticket vending machines available on HealthLine platforms to speed up the boarding process.
“If purchased off board,” read the RTA statement, “you will be able to ‘show and go’ with an activated All-Day, 7-Day, Monthly pass or mobile ticket.”
On day one of this new policy, according to one rider, the HealthLine efficiency has been dramatically reduced.
A judge issued an opinion that challenges our fare enforcement process. While the city is considering its next steps, and RTA is reviewing the impact of the decision, RTA is modifying our process and testing it to determine the best way to employ the most efficient fare collection method without impairing on-time performance.Last month, Scene published an article in which RTA fare enforcement officers expressed frustration with enforcement policies and the low morale therefrom.We are telling customers that over the next several weeks, RTA is altering its procedure with respect to proof of payment validations on the HealthLine. Customers will see more Transit Police officers on station platforms as opposed to on vehicles, and will be requesting to see valid proof of payment.
When Transit Police officers are not on site, the proof of payment validation will be done by the Health Line operator.
Over the next several days, this new method may slow down operations, but over time, we expect to again be able to provide the most efficient service without impairing on-time performance.
This article appears in Oct 25-31, 2017.
I thought this ticket inspection then was normal practice in other transit systems…I know they did it on San Francisco’s MUNI system…they would just ask to see your ticket as you rode…they inspected everyone’s ticket too. Sometimes they waited at a stop and they inspected people getting off to be sure they were valid. It was quick and painless if you paid. If you didn’t…well I’m not really sure what happened because I didn’t want to find out! There have to be better ways though…
Seems like this is a problem of Design. The Healthline was designed based on the proof-of-payment system. So, for example, the high-volume busses are not meant for a single point of entry and exit. I was on the bus yesterday and again this AM during rush hour and have seen how the whole process just ground to a halt at the busy stops. Another result too is that the driver is becoming the target of peoples ire for this bad policy.
The bus was already super slow…. No reason to take 35 mins from case to public square. What’s it now at busy times, and hour?
The Euclid corridor project was a colossal waste of money and removed too many other buses. All the development on the street would have happened without it. Besides, all the new development there has huge parking lots so transit was not a factor, cheap land was.
Fix the light timing, have a conductor on the bus so the driver can focus, and get downtown I. 15 minutes.
for sure the idiot judge who started this does not use public transportation. the bottom line is if you try to cheat the system and get caught you deserve to be hassled. don’t want to be hassled? pay your fare and follow the rules. It really is that simple. This idea of the Healthline is not unique to Cleveland. It is used successfully in many other cities and even countries. the bottom line is still the same. Don’t steal because that is what it is. You can pretty up the language but its STEALING if you don’t buy your fare and if you STEAL and a police officer gives you a hard time well you EARNED it. and send the bleeding heart judge and even the attorneys who are trying to get rich at someone else expense to spend a month riding the bus. You might even get a education into honest VS dishonest.