danib62 wrote: ↑Thu Dec 19, 2019 5:05 pm
Arlington, in your opinion is it fare evasion if someone chooses to only purchase paper tickets knowing they’ll be less likely to be collected?
Based on what he said yes. Anytime you ride for free it is a form of fare evasion. The only way to not evade a fare is to have paid for every trip you take.
So if one buys a paper ticket and the conductor does not come through the paper ticket is still valid. It is that next ride where the fare is "evaded" in part because the conductor did not invalidate the ticket thus
forcing the individual to purchase a fare the next time, but also in part because the ticket holder is taking advantage of that situation for personal gain at the expense of the MBTA. A truly, 100% moral person would indeed self-cancel that ticket by disposing of it and purchase a new fare for their next trip, instead of re-using the same ticket to ride without paying a new fare. But most people I know would think "Oh great! Free ride!" and think nothing of using it again. They aren't breaking a rule per se because they are riding with valid fare media, but they are deliberately choosing to take a service twice that they only paid for once.