by Otto Vondrak
In these tight economic times, with transportation costs rising, how far will people go to save a few dollars on their commute? For the last 11 years, on Staten Island, the answer appears to be about half a mile — the distance some riders of the local commuter train walk every day to avoid the system’s $2 fare.http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/ ... -loophole/
By this time next year, we’ll know if they are willing to trek six-tenths of a mile on top of that.
Within a few years, it may become even harder for riders on the Staten Island Railway to get a free ride.
The situation, reported in The Times in 2004, is this: For reasons that are somewhat complex, the only station on the railway where fares are collected — for people getting both on and off trains — is St. George, at the ferry terminal at the island’s northern tip.
So was the ride always free? Did they ever collect fares onboard the trains in the pre-MTA days? Did they ever have "fare control" at any of the outlying stations?
-otto-
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Moderator: New York State Railfan :: New York Central :: Toy Trains
NYW&B Fan Site :: A Magazine I Read Often :: A Museum I Volunteer At