Dear Editor:
Twenty million dollars lost as a result of fare evaders on the buses?
I take it the transit people are looking for advice. (After all, they were too dumb to foresee a problem when the SkyTrain was built based on the "honour system.") Well, here is mine, for what it is worth:
Select a problem area. Have three teams of transit cops on the ready in strategic locations. The minute a driver has to deal with scum, he pushes his/her button and pulls the bus over to the curb. He keeps the doors locked and advises his passengers that he has to deal with a police incident. Satellite technology tells your law enforcement crew the exact location of the bus and they hope like hell the raging-grannies-in-a-hurry do not deal with the individual before the law gets there one minute later!
Fines should be stiff enough to cover the cost of policing and, occasionally, incarceration of those who do not have a mom to bail them out and deal with their lifestyle henceforth.
Two hours later, your mobile teams pick up coffee and doughnuts and show up again at another designated bus corridor which is known to your drivers to be frequent problem spots.
Believe me, that kind of action is news that gets around fast and will take care of most of your losses. Guaranteed! You are welcome.
Ziggy Eckardt, via email
