The Metropolitan Council voted Wednesday to move forward with a program that will put non-sworn uniformed personnel on trains and buses to issue citations to individuals who aren't paying to ride.
Earlier this year, the Minnesota Legislature established the Transit Rider Investment Program (TRIP) in an effort to improve rider experience.
The statute called for the creation of an administrative citation program that decriminalizes fare evasion, reduces the penalties and provides for alternative citation resolutions.
TRIP establishes a fine schedule for administrative citations. The first violation results in a $35. The schedule includes alternatives to fines, including loading $20 to a stored-value card or onto mobile application, or viewing a Transit School video to reduce fine to $25.
"There is urgency, clearly," said Metropolitan Council Member, Toni Carter. "It's not just about stopping fare evasion, it is about connecting to education and alternatives. Meeting the needs of people who cannot afford the fare and connecting them to positive resources."
The Met Council believes TRIP will free up law enforcement from fare enforcement and allow them to focus on other public safety issues.
"We have been advocting for this shift to administrative citations for at least six years," added Met Council Chair, Charlie Zelle. "Now that this legislation has passed, there's some urgency for implementation. It's not a question of whether we're doing this. We've made the promise."
Funding for the program comes from Metro Transit's existing budget.
The highest penalty under TRIP is a $100 fine after a fourth citation. The individual would be prohibited from accessing transit services for 120 days.
