Common sense Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 In other news, the sky is blue. --- http://www.news1130.com/news/more.jsp?content=20091123_092334_6000&page=1 ICBC: Transit fines not being collected VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - It seems people busted for not paying transit fares aren't likely to pay their fines either. We're along the B-Line in Vancouver with word millions of dollars in transit fines are not being paid. Numbers from ICBC listed in the Province newspaper suggest as little as 10 per cent of the thousands of tickets levied against non-paying transit riders in any given year are paid. In 2008 alone, close to $2 million in transit fines went uncollected and unpaid to the provincial government. TransLink itself says fare evasion costs it five to nine million dollars annually, mostly on SkyTrain. Along the B-Line, or what is often called the "Free-Line", riders think more people would pay up if more enforcement showed up, "I've never seen the transit police giving any sort of tickets." Another transit user we spoke with thanked us for the information, saying with such poor record of collection he'll be sure NOT to pay any future fines. I havn't done much research into this, but what exactly are the consequences besides the $173 fine? Increased fines, driver's license suspension/record, jail time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronthecivil Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 I havn't done much research into this, but what exactly are the consequences besides the $173 fine? Increased fines, driver's license suspension/record, jail time? Since ICBC collects it they could for example prevent you from insuring a vehicle until you pay up. Of course, the kind of bums and punks that get fines in the first place aren't going to be insuring a vehicle anyways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trek Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 (edited) Smart RFID Cards + Front door only boarding + transit cops at the front door will prevent hobos from jumping on the 'Free-Line' Oh and ffs TURNSTYLES on skytrain. People caught fare evading would have their RFID deactivated and levied a fine before it can be reactivated. RFIDs would be registered to you, and would require I.D. to purchase a new one, whether that be Driver's License, BC Health Card, Urine Sample, w/e. Edited November 23, 2009 by trek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahzdeen Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 Smart RFID Cards + Front door only boarding + transit cops at the front door will prevent hobos from jumping on the 'Free-Line' Oh and ffs TURNSTYLES on skytrain. People caught fare evading would have their RFID deactivated and levied a fine before it can be reactivated. RFIDs would be registered to you, and would require I.D. to purchase a new one, whether that be Driver's License, BC Health Card, Urine Sample, w/e. Might as well start implanting those into the right hand or forehead as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronthecivil Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 Smart RFID Cards + Front door only boarding + transit cops at the front door will prevent hobos from jumping on the 'Free-Line' Oh and ffs TURNSTYLES on skytrain. People caught fare evading would have their RFID deactivated and levied a fine before it can be reactivated. RFIDs would be registered to you, and would require I.D. to purchase a new one, whether that be Driver's License, BC Health Card, Urine Sample, w/e. And you probably think revenues lost to fare evasion are expensive. If I was a hobo I would simply loiter near the entrance and beg until I had enough money to pay. Your never going to stop hobos from getting on transit unless you somehow got rid of the hobos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aGENT Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 And you probably think revenues lost to fare evasion are expensive. If I was a hobo I would simply loiter near the entrance and beg until I had enough money to pay. Your never going to stop hobos from getting on transit unless you somehow got rid of the hobos. I could be wrong but I think the issue was more the hobos riding for free than the hobos themselves... Though it would be nice if we could at least minimize the "hobos" as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trek Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 And you probably think revenues lost to fare evasion are expensive. If I was a hobo I would simply loiter near the entrance and beg until I had enough money to pay. Your never going to stop hobos from getting on transit unless you somehow got rid of the hobos. Our useless mayor promised to abolish homelessness so I'll hold him to that . (yeah, if you hadn't guessed, I'm being facetious) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buggernut Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 Since ICBC collects it they could for example prevent you from insuring a vehicle until you pay up. Of course, the kind of bums and punks that get fines in the first place aren't going to be insuring a vehicle anyways. Why on earth is ICBC put in charge of collecting transit fines? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aGENT Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 Why on earth is ICBC put in charge of collecting transit fines? You'd rather waste a ton of money setting up a completely separate infrastructure/system to do something that another organization is already perfectly capable of doing and set up for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buggernut Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 You'd rather waste a ton of money setting up a completely separate infrastructure/system to do something that another organization is already perfectly capable of doing and set up for? Isn't ICBC bloated enough? Translink should have its own collections division, no? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronthecivil Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 I could be wrong but I think the issue was more the hobos riding for free than the hobos themselves... Though it would be nice if we could at least minimize the "hobos" as well. The lost revenue from hobos and punk teen riding for free always has and always will be more than the cost of operating fare gates let along the crazy stuff that other guy was doing. Period. Hobos and punk teens will always find SOME way to get on the sytem, be it recovered/stolen fares or some way to sneak in. They are not going to stop travelling. Period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronthecivil Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 Isn't ICBC bloated enough? Translink should have its own collections division, no? ICBC is no more bloated than translink, that's for sure! ICBC already has a collections devision. What posssible advantage could you get from tranlink collecting it themselves, they would have even less power to collect than ICBC, who might get you in the long run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahzdeen Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 Isn't ICBC bloated enough? Translink should have its own collections division, no? Why have 2 bloated organizations when you can just have 1 really bloated, and 1 not so bloated entity? All you're doing is moving the bloat around. ICBC already has the infrastructure, so having Translink create all the infrastructure would be redundant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aGENT Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 The lost revenue from hobos and punk teen riding for free always has and always will be more than the cost of operating fare gates let along the crazy stuff that other guy was doing. Period. Hobos and punk teens will always find SOME way to get on the sytem, be it recovered/stolen fares or some way to sneak in. They are not going to stop travelling. Period. So you're agreeing with me....? Right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronthecivil Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 So you're agreeing with me....? Right? I wasn't saying it was your argument, just that it was THE argument. I don't disagree that it's THE argument. I just think it's a stupid argument. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaK Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 Unfortunately I don't have any pictures to post, but I toured the new seabus the other day. Things I recall: - It has a very nice interior but I'll be shocked if the seats survive the first week. The backs are all made of a single layer of fabric and are just asking to be vandalized. - There are now LCD tvs on the boat to show a video that accompanies the Transport Canada safety announcement - The boat features pretty heavy duty weathertight doors that are a significant upgrade from the old ones - "Exit This Side" signs are now proper LED displays - There is no centre aisle between rows of seats, but there is more leg room compared to the older boats - The Crew office is much larger than on the current boats and includes a kitchenette - One funny thing was that this room was supposed to have a one way mirror looking out at the passengers, but the yard didn't install one - it is a window instead -The engine room is pretty small, but that is normal. The boat does not feature two stroke engines like the old vessels but has a more advanced model. -The bridge does not have a rotating console like the old seabus'; instead it features two chairs back to back and two sets of controls. -A lot on the bridge is automated, to the chagrin of operators since some of these systems do not have analogue back-ups; for example, if the computer system goes haywire there is no way to turn on or off the window wipers. -In addition to regular navigation lights and flood lights the boat also has UV lights... to light up ice bergs I suppose? I also understood that as far as future vessels go, they might be looking at a hybrid design for the engines for the next one when it is eventually built. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuckyHermit Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 -In addition to regular navigation lights and flood lights the boat also has UV lights... to light up ice bergs I suppose? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King of Anarchy Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 In other news, the sky is blue. Maybe where you are, but the sky hasn't been blue in Vancouver since early September. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuckyHermit Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 Maybe where you are, but the sky hasn't been blue in Vancouver since early September. So... the sky in Vancouver is green? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jd22_ Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 So... the sky in Vancouver is green? Good chap, it is clearly mauve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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