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Disputing a TransLink ticket


7thMan

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If he was "riding for free for months" then the lazy TP haven't been doing their jobs and the system is to blame.

Get a system that doesn't allow for this. And have appropriate fines that aren't 65 times the cost of the fare. There is no excuse for that.

Why can't someone take personal responsibility for their actions? It is a concept that never grows old. A fine is there as a deterrent. It is a simple plan: pay the fare or validate your pass and you will never get hit with a fine. The fact that someone got caught and now has to pay a fine should serve as a lesson to never do it again.
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(To jmf) Exactly - and the responsibility of Translink is to maintain their machinery and ensure it's in working order. If not, accept responsibility in that.

Am I doin it right?

Translink is responsible for collecting fares and it seems the system doesn't work. So they'd better also fix that. A deterrent would be no pay, no ride. Right now, it's a roll of the dice and many DO avoid paying because they can.

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IF the machine was broken and cannot validate...then why can't the person buy a regular ticket? It costs a $1 more or something but at least you have a PAID TICKET and not break the law!!!

You break the law...you take the consequences. Much like speeding in your car. Everyone does it...I do it as sometimes (not so much now that I'm older but still occasionally). And I've paid my share of fines...cuz I was in the wrong.

Even parking meters are faulty sometimes. It even tells you not to park there if it's broken. And if you do...you will get a fine.

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Most offenders are fully aware wether they have a fair paid or not.

to be honest I don't feel sorry for anyone who gets busted. It's also quite unbelievable if they say "I forgot" to pay for it.

You're missing the point....they have "paid" (in pre paid tickets)....the issue is that they forgot or, in the case of my son, were unable to validate the tickets as required.

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You're missing the point....they have "paid" (in pre paid tickets)....the issue is that they forgot or, in the case of my son, were unable to validate the tickets as required.

I'll argue from the example of "if I forgot" - what's stopping me from re-using my pack of ten 3-zome tickets over and over again? I simply have to rip one out and leave the other 9 in the booklet for as long as I ride the Translink system.

For the second point "I was unable to validate the ticket" - that is unfortunate, and Translink should do better in terms of repairing its infrastructure, but it is written on the booklet that your son got the faresaver from. The ticket has to be validated in order for it to be considered proof of payment.

Paying in prepaid tickets does not give one the right to simply board buses/Skytrains at will; the ticket has to be validated first. If this were the case, I could simply fake it and say I have a UPass, even though my student card is still valid and I graduated a year ago. Simply put, it's contravention of the law.

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I agree with you for the most part...believe me, as an always paying customer, freeloaders tick me off.

However, I was furious at how they handled by son's situation (as was he)....the TP was an absolute (looking for a word I can use that won't result in me banning myself)......"jerk".

I do think there should be some sort of opportunity to explain and for the TP to assess the situation instead of simply writing out a ticket and slapping it on someone's chest like a big shot. Sure, 9 times out of 10 it's BS but there are legitimate issues and people deserve an opportunity to present their situation.

My beef is that it's like the NHL reffing...there's no consistency. Some DO simply get verbal warnings and others have the book thrown at them. Make a standard procedure...have a verbal warning for first time offenders....repeat offenders - no problem, fine away.

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I agree with you for the most part...believe me, as an always paying customer, freeloaders tick me off.

However, I was furious at how they handled by son's situation (as was he)....the TP was an absolute (looking for a word I can use that won't result in me banning myself)......"jerk".

I do think there should be some sort of opportunity to explain and for the TP to assess the situation instead of simply writing out a ticket and slapping it on someone's chest like a big shot. Sure, 9 times out of 10 it's BS but there are legitimate issues and people deserve an opportunity to present their situation.

My beef is that it's like the NHL reffing...there's no consistency. Some DO simply get verbal warnings and others have the book thrown at them. Make a standard procedure...have a verbal warning for first time offenders....repeat offenders - no problem, fine away.

Seriously give it a rest already. Your son should have known better. And even still, lets say you're this transit police officer. I'm going to take a wild guess your son is between the ages of 16 - 19. Now you have this kid who says "Sorry officer the ticket machine was down". How many times do you think he's heard that one? That is even to say, *gasp* that your son told you the truth that the machine was down. He should have validated his ticket, end of story. Just because a machine isn't working doesn't mean a service becomes free.

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I agree with you for the most part...believe me, as an always paying customer, freeloaders tick me off.

However, I was furious at how they handled by son's situation (as was he)....the TP was an absolute (looking for a word I can use that won't result in me banning myself)......"jerk".

I do think there should be some sort of opportunity to explain and for the TP to assess the situation instead of simply writing out a ticket and slapping it on someone's chest like a big shot. Sure, 9 times out of 10 it's BS but there are legitimate issues and people deserve an opportunity to present their situation.

My beef is that it's like the NHL reffing...there's no consistency. Some DO simply get verbal warnings and others have the book thrown at them. Make a standard procedure...have a verbal warning for first time offenders....repeat offenders - no problem, fine away.

It is very consistent. No valid proof of payment in a fare paid zone. $173 fine. Doesn't get any more consistent and clear than that. What you want is leniency.

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173? !@#% bro.... when I got caught not paying it, it was a 43 dollar fine back in 2002..... :(

Ahh how the times have changed.

If it's still $43, that's about 10 single trips from Richmond to downtown, or 5 round trips. Much more incentive for people to skip out on fares.

$173? Not so much. You need to take a lot more freebie trips to get your money's worth (43 single trips, to be exact)

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I can't believe how many of you complain after getting a ticket. "I only went over one stop" "I didn't know to validate my fare" Give me a break. You stole a service. Its pretty black and white. If you went to a store and bought a candy bar but took two is that not stealing too then? Can you buy one litre of milk and take four? Grow up, pay the correct fare or pay the bloody fine.

Sounds like someone once tried to dispute a ticket and lost.... :bigblush:

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  • 1 year later...

Going to dispute a Translink ticket, had my prepaid faresaver ticket in my wallet but forgot to validate it at a skytrain station, a student that has been UPass and monthly bus passes for his entire life. Anyone have experience on the proceess and outcome?

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Speak of the devil, skytrain system has stopped running and will be inconvenicing thousands of people costing thousands of dollars... Should we give Translink a huge fine now? They just get away with a slap on the wrist, but somebody who genuinely makes a mistake and has been an honest citizen for 20 years is required to pay a massive amount of 173 equivalent to someone who has a bad track record and blatantly attempting to scan the system?

Where in terms of morality and ethically is the right in that?

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Going to dispute a Translink ticket, had my prepaid faresaver ticket in my wallet but forgot to validate it at a skytrain station, a student that has been UPass and monthly bus passes for his entire life. Anyone have experience on the proceess and outcome?

Sorry to hear. However, that's not a good excuse and isn't going to work.

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I used to live by the New West skytrain station. I didnt ride the train to work but did ride maybe 3 or 4 times a week for over 15 years. I never once didnt pay. I never once had a problem where I was unable to buy my ticket. If you wanna try to screw the system go ahead but dont come on here with sob stories about busted machines and validation systems you cant figure out.

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