Published Wednesday, April 4, 2001, in the Palo Alto Daily News
Riders cheat Caltrain
Passengers not paying their fares
By Brian Bothun
Daily News Staff Writer
Caltrain ridership figures released yesterday show a record number of
people are riding the train each day, but the numbers also show
nearly 2,000 daily passengers aren't buying tickets.
The discrepancy came to light when Caltrain compared its February
ticket sales with its annual census -- which is compiled each
February by physically counting how many people board at each station.
Caltrain's census shows an average of 35,609 people boarded each
weekday during the first week of February. That's a 13.8 percent
increase over last year. It's also 1,909 more riders than tickets
that were sold, Caltrain spokeswoman Rita Haskin said.
"We think that will diminish with time," Haskin told the Daily News.
Caltrain expects ticket sales to increase as more ticket vending
machines are installed in its stations.
Currently, stations from San Francisco down to Palo Alto have vending
machines where passengers can buy tickets. Caltrain is in the process
of installing machines at the remaining stations.
The other option is for passengers to buy tickets from conductors,
but conductors often don't make it to every passenger to collect
fares, Haskin said.
Once the ticket machines are all working, Haskin said Caltrain will
switch to a proof-of-payment fare system. Under that system,
passengers could face a fine if they don't already have a ticket when
a conductor comes to check.
No date has been set for when Caltrain will switch to the proof-of-
payment method or how much the fine will be, Haskin said. The fine
decision is up to Caltrain's nine-member board. Possibilities range
from a higher ticket price, which would keep the money in Caltrain
coffers, or a citation, in which case the fine would go into the
court system and not the railroad, Haskin said.
The new ridership figures show that 284 more passengers get on the
train each weekday at the San Mateo station as compared to last year.
The 25.7 percent increase in ridership boosted the San Mateo station
to a rank of seventh-busiest station on the Caltrain line, from the
1lth busiest spot last year.
The San Mateo station opened in October at First Avenue and B Street,
replacing an old station one block south built in the 1960s.
The Palo Alto station gained 289 riders each weekday relative to last
year -- an increase of 14.7 percent -- keeping its rank of second-
busiest station on the Caltrain line.
Staff writer Elaine Goodman contributed to this report.
Number of weekday riders
Station Feb. 2000 Feb. 2001
San Francisco 6,602 6,807
22nd Street 574 673
Paul Avenue 11 10
Bayshore 458 513
S. San Francisco 549 621
San Bruno 723 844
Millbrae 782 870
Broadway 495 567
Burlingame 842 985
San Mateo 1,105 1,389
Hayward Park 381 607
Bay Meadows 62 67
Hillsdale 1,278 1,318
Belmont 648 892
San Carlos 1,028 1,216
Redwood City 1,597 1,804
Atherton 266 260
Menlo Park 1,174 1,321
Palo Alto 1,960 2,249
Stanford 12 11
California Avenue 1,280 1,376
San Antonio 550 841
Castro 111 (closed)
Mountain View 1,640 2,200
Sunnyvale 1,363 1,427
Lawrence 1,124 1,309
Santa Clara 1,031 1,124
College Park 206 185
San Jose Diridon 1,454 1,747
Tamien 676 821
Capitol 95 121
Blossom Hill 161 177
Morgan Hill 387 437
San Martin 200 252
Gilroy 468 569
Total 31,291 35,609
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