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Posted: |
Apr 18, 2024 - 1:15 AM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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That turnstile system feels so outdated now, regardless of how tall the door is.
In Oslo, the subway has no no turnstiles at all. People just walk on and off as they please. Ticket is usually purchased via an app, although there are also some "boxes" around for those who still use cards. There are random checks onboard, so if you haven't purchased a ticket, you get a considerable fine if you're caught. So while it's technically easy to dodge the fare, most people won't risk it.
We live in a less law-abiding society, although some municipal transit systems in the U.S. have gone to a gateless model.
Even so, you crafty Norwegians have developed an app for fare evaders--to track where the checks are taking place:
"Billettkonroll for the iPhone is an application that tells you where ticket inspectors are performing controls on public transportation within Norway. This gives you the chance to know about the checks that are in your proximity. The program costs NOK 17, – on the App Store."
https://www.tnp.no/norway/panorama/2188-isneak-into-public-transport-avoid-the-ticket-control-with-iphone-application/#google_vignette
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Just this morning during my subway commute when I was getting off at my final train to walk a few blocks to work, a very tall and lanky guy came through the turnstile without paying (not one of the fancy new high tech turnstiles -- just the old ones that make up the majority of the NYC subway system). He used a technique that was new to me. Instead of hopping over the turnstile (which I see literally every day when I'm riding on the subway), he pulled the turnstile rotating arms back a bit, sashayed around the gap, and then left the turnstile. He did it so quickly that it actually looked like he had legitimately paid. There were cops standing just to the side of the turnstile, and even they didn't notice what he'd done. There's always a way!
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Posted: |
Apr 19, 2024 - 6:31 PM
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By: |
Josh
(Member)
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The prevalent attitude in the U.S. (well, here in southern California, at least, where I've lived all my life) is that public transportation is basically an accommodation for people who can't afford a car. Unless one lives in a major Metropolitan area, relying on public modes of transportation simply isn't practical.
Of course, in the city of San Diego, we don't even have subway systems like other Metropolitan areas as our downtown area is very small (like 12 square blocks), while San Diego County is quite expansive (4,260.9 sq mi / 11,036 km2) with extreme topographical variations (coast --> inland valleys --> mountains --> deserts) and a trolley system that extends only from downtown to some of the larger inland valley suburbs (and down the coast to the Mexican border).
I haven't ridden on a bus since I was a small child on a novelty ride into the city with my great-grandma (1910-1995), who never in her life bothered to obtain a drivers license or learn how to drive a car, but I do occasionally drive down to the suburbs and hop a trolley into downtown San Diego, since parking there is very limited (and expensive).
As I mentioned previously, it's practically impossible to rely solely on public transportation in the USA, since it's so massive and cities and towns are so far apart. For example, in the small, rural town where I live now, in the mountains of San Diego County (we get snow here, believe it or not), there is one bus that passes through town each Friday. One bus, only on Fridays. If I had to take the bus from my town to downtown San Diego, it would take about 4-5 hours one way (compared to 90 minutes or less by car), and I wouldn't be able to catch a bus home until the following Friday.
But on the rare occasion I do take the trolley, I usually pay the fare. 
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