An analysis by Alex Davis, Nimesh Rajakumar, and Erica Solis reveals that Los Angeles Metro typically issues less than 10 citations for fare evasion per day systemwide, effectively rendering the system free to use for those who choose not to pay fares.
According to a piece by the authors in the Los Angeles Daily News, roughly 46 percent of Metro riders do not pay their fares. “That’s 12 million unpaid boardings each month. And because (according to Metro) over 90% of those who commit crimes on the system enter without paying, it’s no surprise that onboard issues related to crime and antisocial behavior have persisted ever since the pandemic.”
The authors note that fare enforcement levels “collapsed” after 2017, when the agency shifted those duties from LA Sheriffs to in-house security. Since then, concerns about safety and cleanliness have also risen, a change the authors seem to link to growing levels of fare evasion…