by davinp
Last year the General Assembly added language to an un-validated ticket/riding outside of ticket zone law in order to make it unlawful to use counterfeit or fraudulent ticket as a means to gain access to a transportation district train (VRE). In doing so, all penalties were changed to misdemeanors (Class 4 for validation/zones, Class 2 for fraudulent use). This added considerable burden to the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, the Courts, VRE and the riders because of the onerous filing requirements of misdemeanors.
In the end, VRE sought to change back the validation and zone infractions to civil actions. This change will ease the concerns of riders who fear that a ticket might work adversely against security clearances and, additionally, will allow for a more efficient process of citations. Also, the fine for validation and zone infractions has been reduced from $250 to $100, while counterfeit or fraudulent ticket use remains a Class 2 misdemeanor with a penalty of not less than $500.
In the end, VRE sought to change back the validation and zone infractions to civil actions. This change will ease the concerns of riders who fear that a ticket might work adversely against security clearances and, additionally, will allow for a more efficient process of citations. Also, the fine for validation and zone infractions has been reduced from $250 to $100, while counterfeit or fraudulent ticket use remains a Class 2 misdemeanor with a penalty of not less than $500.
