Posted on 01/12/2005 7:45:02 AM PST by Rakkasan1
The temperature was just above zero when Metro Transit police officer Ken Vande Steeg asked Garrett Carter of south Minneapolis to get off the train and buy a ticket.
Carter complied, stepping onto the cold platform at the Fort Snelling light-rail station. Carter's offense: He had a free-ride coupon, but hadn't exchanged it for a ticket from the vending machine.
Had to be done, Vande Steeg said. The coupon buys one ride.
On the Hiawatha line, which depends partly on the honor system for fares, enforcement is tightening. Officers still have some discretion, issuing warnings instead of citations when riders without tickets have a good excuse. But the honeymoon is over: If officers warn you, your name is recorded. Leniency is extended only once.
(Excerpt) Read more at startribune.com ...
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