NJ TRANSIT Unveils New Tickets To Fight Fare Beaters
NEWARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork) - NJ TRANSIT officials were at Newark Penn Station Monday to warn customers that there is no free ride, WCBS 880's Marla Diamond reported.
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"If you're using a fraudulent ticket, there's a very good chance that you're gonna be detected and arrested by the NEW JERSEY TRANSIT Police Department," Transit Police Chief Christopher Trucillo told reporters.
Trucillo and NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Jim Weinstein were on hand and unveiled new tickets with an embedded hologram.
Conductors are now using ultraviolet scanners to inspect weekly and monthly passes.
The fake ones cost the system dearly, said Weinstein.
"We think it could be as high a $3 million a year," he said.
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Five people were arrested this morning alone, including a husband and wife from Mahwah on the Main Line using the same fake pass.
In the past year and a half, more than 200 have been arrested for making, selling, and using fraudulent passes.
"I think it just is an opportunistic crime and it, quite frankly, was easy and what we've done internally is close that gap," Trucillo said.
What else do you think NJT can do to counter fare beaters? Share your ideas in the comments section below.
