Metro Transit Police To Expand Fare Checks
The Metro Transit Police Department says its ramping up fare inspections on bus rapid transit lines.
Metro Transit Police Chief Ernest Morales III announced the expansion of fare inspections on April 1 at the Brooklyn Center Transit Center.
“What we definitely want is more of a human presence so people can feel safe and comfortable returning back and utilizing our system,” Morales said.
Metro Transit’s community service officers (CSOs) will gradually start monitoring bus rapid transit lines and stations, making sure each rider has a ticket.
Morales said that sworn police officers can focus on more serious crime issues while CSOs are checking fares.
The announcement came about a week after the last shots-fired incident at the Brooklyn Center Transit Center.
“That was an unfortunate incident where a physical altercation had taken place and one shot was fired,” Morales said. “That individual was quickly apprehended and arrested. This is why we have our supplemental security here to prevent incidences like that from taking place.”
The Metro Transit Police Department says its ramping up fare inspections on bus rapid transit lines.
Reduced Fares Available for Lower Income Riders
In December of last year, Morales told the Metropolitan Council that crime had began to trend down at the Brooklyn Center Transit Center after a period of persistent disturbances.
That downward trend came as the agency deployed private security and social service providers to the transit hub.
“Brooklyn Center Transit Center — that was a little harder to get around,” Morales said in December 2023. “We were having challenges there and experiences there, we wanted to put our finger on it. We knew we [could] call on our community based partners … to tackle those issues we were experiencing there. I’m happy to report that situation has improved and gotten better.”
Metro Transit offers a fare assistance program for people with lower incomes. Called the Transit Assistance Program — or TAP — it gives riders year-long access to bus or train rides for $1 per ride.
“We don’t want to see you pay fines, we want to see you pay your fare,” Morales said.
Meanwhile, Metro Transit has used non-police security agents to check fares on light rail transit lines early this year. These so-called Transit Rider Investment Program (TRIP) agents can cite riders who break Metro Transit’s code of conduct or ride without purchasing a fare.
TRIP agents “will be coming out to the BRTs eventually,” Morales said.
