(The Associated Press circulated the following article by Steve LeBlanc on October 11.)
BOSTON — A day after resuming random bag checks to thwart bomb-carrying terrorists, MBTA officials turned their attention to another threat to the public transportation system: fare evaders.
The transit agency is pushing a bill that would give its police officers and other MBTA workers greater authority to stop, cite and even arrest anyone trying to ride the system’s buses, trains and commuter rails without paying.
A bill also would require anyone stopped for trying to evade a fare to produce identification or face arrest — a measure some critics charge would essentially require all MBTA riders to carry identification.
“Fare evasion hasn’t been arrestable, but we are seeking that power to ensure that every citizen pays their fair share,” Transit Police Chief Joseph Carter said after a hearing on the bill Wednesday.
Carter said a suspected fare evader would first be asked for identification, at which point they would likely be given a non-criminal citation. If they didn’t have identification, they would be asked a series of questions to try to determine who they are.
If that information doesn’t seem accurate, Carter said, “then I have power to put handcuffs on you, bring you to the station and book you for fare evasion.”
Current law does not require someone stopped for fare evasion to produce identification. It also establishes a series of fines for fare evaders: $15 for the first offense; $100 for the second; and $250 for subsequent offenses.
The bill would empower not just MBTA police, but employees and agents to enforce the tougher fare evasion policies. Supporters say that would give the transit authority a wider net to catch evaders.
The bill got mixed reviews from lawmakers.
State Rep. Anne Paulsen, D-Belmont, a member of the Transportation Committee, said she understands the need to make everyone pay their fare, but is worried the bill will require all T riders to carry identification.
Paulsen, who said she doesn’t always bring identification when she rides the MBTA, said she wants to know what happens to the information collected if someone is stopped. She also said she’s worried about “profiling” — targeting certain groups because of perceptions that they might be more likely to evade fares.
“Is everyone going to be treated equally? That’s the real concern,” she said. “I’m not necessarily opposed to giving them more authority, but I think we need to put certain safeguards in place.”
Carter said MBTA police are trained to avoid profiling by race, sex, sexual orientation, religion and other factors. He also said the goal of the bill isn’t to require MBTA riders to carry identification.
“We’re not saying you need an ID to ride the T,” he said.
Not all MBTA riders backed the bill.
Brady Skyler, a 16-year old student at Brighton High School in Boston, said the changes sought by the MBTA sounded heavy-handed.
“You shouldn’t have to carry an ID to ride the T,” he said. “The T was meant to help us get around and not hold us hostage because you don’t have enough money.”
MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said the authority estimates it loses between 3 to 5 percent of total fares to evaders. In the fiscal year that ended in June, the MBTA collected about $374 million in fares.
Part of the push for a crackdown is the authority’s shaky fiscal setting. It’s facing a $35 million gap in fares and expenses in the current fiscal year and is pushing for a fare increase in January. Under the plan, a subway ride would jump from $1.25 to $1.70.
The focus on fare evaders comes as the MBTA continues to replace its old token-fed turnstiles with high-tech entrances that rely on “Charlie Cards” — cards that can electronically store a set amount of fares.
Under the new system, fare evasion has dropped dramatically, Carter said.
The hearing on the bill came a day after the MBTA resumed inspections of bags on public trains, buses and boats in the greater Boston area for the first time since the city hosted the Democratic National Convention in 2004.
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority was the first subway system in the nation to begin random inspections of bags and packages on subway and commuter trains after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.