WHEN HARRISON FORD THROWS an attacker from the train in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” he famously defends his actions to another passenger by declaring that the man had “no ticket.”
While an adventuring archeologist might not be checking passengers’ receipts in San Francisco anytime soon, a fare enforcement officer from the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency just might.
Local elected officials and SFMTA Director Julie Kirschbaum announced plans on Tuesday to increase fare enforcement by adding 17 new officers to the ranks of those boarding trains and buses and checking for proof of payment.
That will increase the current team of 59 inspectors by more than 25%.
The SFMTA is also making changes to its app payment system to reduce the number of riders who board without visibly paying. While about half of trips involve someone not visibly paying, about half of those — about a 25% of all Muni trips — actually involve fare evasion, according to Mayor Daniel Lurie’s office.
The SFMTA estimates that number was closer to 12% before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
The change to more visible payment methods is meant to show other riders that many of the people who appear to board without paying are not fare evaders. City leaders hope the change will reinforce a sense of fairness that Lurie and others said was missing.
The ticket option on the MuniMobile app that currently allows users to activate their ticket on the app, rather than tap it at a payment point, will be removed, Kirschbaum said.
Riders will use the Clipper Card app instead, making their tap-to-pay more apparent to other riders.
“One of the most common concerns we hear from the public is a sense of frustration about people not paying for Muni,” Kirschbaum said. “Muni is the backbone of this city, and to keep it moving, we need to ensure that everyone who can pay, does.”
She said the SFMTA would continue to offer free and discounted fares to those who qualified and that the fare inspectors would also educate riders found without fares about programs they could benefit from.
Fare enforcement is targeted at people who can afford to pay, not those who cannot, according to the SFMTA. Citations can potentially be dismissed for eligible riders who enroll in fare subsidy programs after being ticketed.
Rafael Mandelman, who represents the Castro District on the Board of Supervisors, said the changes would help staunch what he said was one of the top complaints he receives from residents.
“There is nothing more annoying to my constituents than getting on and paying to ride our amazing Muni buses and trains and looking around and suspecting strongly that you are the only person on the bus or in the train who is actually paying,” Mandelman said.
There are multiple categories of riders who could appear to not pay but either have paid another way or are eligible for free rides.
Besides the Muni app ticket activation method, anyone who pays cash and transfers or anyone who buys a visitor’s “passport” but doesn’t load it onto the Clipper app, which was previously optional, can appear to others that they are not paying, even though they are.
Muni allows all riders under 19 years old to ride free without proof of payment. Free fares are also available for most seniors–those who are older than 64 and have family income of less than about $100,000. Those tickets do require tapping for payment through the Clipper app.
Ticketholders for events at Chase Center also get unlimited free Muni rides on the day of an event.
But beyond improving perception around people who already paid or are covered by free fares, fare evasion remains a large source of lost revenue for the cash-strapped transit agency.
Muni was hammered by lost ridership during and after the COVID-19 pandemic and is now looking for multiple new streams of revenue, including a property tax bond and a regional sales tax increase, both of which are being supported by the mayor.
The agency also approved a slate of revenue increases in its most recent budget, including increasing the cable car single ride ticket from $9 to $18 in the next two years, raising parking meter rates and citation late fees, and implementing an online transaction fee.
“Muni is the backbone of this city, and to keep it moving, we need to ensure that everyone who can pay, does.”
Julie Kirschbaum, SFMTA director
Capturing more revenue from lost fares is another priority. A recent rise in ridership contributed to $14 million more from fares than expected in Muni’s most recent budget, with fare revenue totaling $128 in the current fiscal year ending June 30.
But that increase is nowhere near the pace needed to catch up to annual deficits projected to be over $300 million for the next several years.
The fare compliance enforcement push is expected to generate an additional $5 million for Muni annually, according to Lurie.
Fare inspectors make about $85,000 in their first year of employment, rising to about $103,000 in their fifth year, according to a job posting from the SFMTA for one of the positions.
There are programs available that offer free and discounted tickets to those with low or no income and disabilities.
The good news for Indiana Jones fans is they won’t be thrown from any trains for not paying. The bad news: riders caught without proof of valid fare payment can be hit with a $134 citation, the equivalent of about 47 trips.