Deseret News | Thieves use arcade tokens to get TRAX tickets

Reader comments
Thieves use arcade tokens to get TRAX tickets

Skeetball | 12:51 a.m. June 19, 2008

What a waste of arcade tokens. You don't need to pay to ride TRAX, just ask half the people on the train.

nice | 7:25 a.m. June 19, 2008

Now everyone knows how to rip-off the system and you'll be shutting down a lot more token-accepting machines.

QuickQuestions | 8:34 a.m. June 19, 2008

Can you buy tickets using either cash or debit/credit cards, or are the entire ticket machines closed down at those two stations?

Also, I've only ridden TRAX about 10 times, but I have never seen anyone checking for tickets. Because of that I figure it's an unspoken policy to allow poor people to ride without paying (sort of an unofficial welfare program). In your experience, how often do they check for tickets?

Comments continue below

Heidi | 10:23 a.m. June 19, 2008

I have always bought tickets for TRAX, but QuickQuestions is absolutely right. I have never been asked to show my ticket.

A | 10:30 a.m. June 19, 2008

Often enough to make me pay every time i ride the train from now on. I believe for the first offense you could either take a class or pay a $100 dollar fine. It's worth it to just buy the ticket.

KF | 10:36 a.m. June 19, 2008

To QuickQuestions,

I ride daily and there are times I'll go months without having my ticket checked. Other times I have had it checked both coming to work and going home on the same day and then every day for a week. It is not as frequent as I'd like to see it, but what do I know?

SanDiego | 11:02 a.m. June 19, 2008

It doesn't matter if you are asked to show a ticket or not...you buy a ticket/pass/etc everytime you ride because it is the right thing to do. Doesn't matter if the person sitting next to you bought a ticket, it matters if you did. Isn't this called "Ethics"?

Seriously? | 11:33 a.m. June 19, 2008

This has funny written all over it.

My favorite part was, "...UTA tried to make a compromise and stop accepting tokens at those two stations rather than abandon the program altogether."

Yeah, 'cause repairing/altering the machines and/or token designs would make far too much sense. The unspoken part of the interview probably went something like, "Yeah, we're UTA. Part of the govornment. We're not in the business of fixing our foul-ups. We'd rather shut it down than fix it. Oh, by the way, we need to raise rates again to recoup the costs of an in-depth study on why there's been a sudden rise in token fraud..."

Whatever Works | 1:45 p.m. June 19, 2008

I have to dissagree with the 7:25 am person I have been on Trax before and you do have to pay, I don't disagree with most people but him I have to disagree with I know that he is wrong, on that issue, Whatever works.

Token problems | 4:37 p.m. June 19, 2008

I buy tokens through my work, and every once in awhile an arcade token has shown up and the machine wouldn't take it. They look so much alike, and I had to really look at it to realize it wasn't a UTA token.

As far as checking for tickets, I have been asked for mine, and I have seen tickets written when someone can't produce one and it seems like the officer told them it was a $250 fine. I won't swear to the amount, but even if it was a $100 fine, that's alot of TRAX rides. I have also seen a pass taken from a person who was using a roommates pass, and a ticket written.

I'm sure they don't do it often as there are so many trains and schedules and not enough cops to go around, but I wouldn't want to take that chance.

QuickQuestions | 5:18 p.m. June 19, 2008

Do they have an actual police officer enforcing the tickets, or how do they force someone to show their ID or pay $100? It's pretty easy to kick someone off at the next stop, but can they really do anything more than that?

As for SanDiego, I don't get your point. Yes, everyone should be honest, but this article is about people who are purposefully being dishonest and dealing with them. Are you suggesting we put up signs that say "Ethics" and that's enough?

To QuickQuestions | 5:32 p.m. June 19, 2008

UTA has their own police force, and they are sworn officers and have the authority to issue tickets, etc. I'm not sure how many are on their force.

Melanie | 12:56 p.m. July 20, 2008

They checked for my ticket today.

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