Proof-of-payment

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
POP payment center in New York City, used for Select Bus Service lines.
Ticket hall with open barrier line in Niittykumpu metro station, Espoo, Finland

Proof-of-payment (POP) or proof-of-fare (POF) is an

time stamp
the ticket. The ticket is then valid for some period of time after the stamped time.

This method is implemented when the transit authority believes it will lose less money to the resultant fare evasion than it would cost to install and maintain a more direct collection method. It may be used in systems whose passenger volume and density are not very high most of the time—as passenger volumes increase, more-direct collection methods become more profitable. However, in some countries it is common even on systems with very high passenger volume. Proof-of-payment is usually applied on

one-person operated rail and road vehicles as well as on automatically operated
rail lines.

The honor system can be complemented with a more direct collection approach where this would be feasible—a transit authority utilizing POP will usually post fare inspectors, sometimes armed as a police force, to man entrances to stations on a discretionary basis when a high volume of passengers is expected. For example, transit users leaving a

faregates
.

Travel without a valid ticket is not usually considered a criminal offense, but a penalty fare or a fine can be charged.

Advantages and disadvantages

The Caltrain commuter rail line along the San Francisco Peninsula posts a proof-of-payment logo on signs throughout stations, reminding riders to purchase tickets before boarding.

Advantages of proof-of-payment include lower labor costs for fare collection, simpler station design, easier access for mobility-impaired passengers, easier access for those carrying packages or in case of an emergency, and a more open feel for passengers. On buses, proof-of-payment saves drivers the time needed to collect fares, and makes it possible for all doors to be used for boarding. Validated tickets can double as transfers between lines.

Disadvantages include higher rates of fare evasion, reduced security on station platforms when no barrier is used, increased potential of racial profiling and other unequal enforcement as "likely fare evaders" are targeted, and regularly exposing passengers to unpleasant confrontational situations when a rider without the proper proof is detained and removed from the vehicle. Visitors unfamiliar with a system's validation requirements who innocently misunderstand the rules are especially likely to get into trouble.

Worldwide uses

Proof-of-payment is popular in Germany, where it was widely introduced during the labor shortages resulting from the

farebox beside the driver as is common practice on traditional buses. San Francisco's MUNI system became the first North American system-wide adopter of the proof-of-payment system on July 1, 2012 across its buses, light rail and heritage streetcars, with the exception of cable cars, allowing boarding on all the available doors.[1]

Notes

  1. ^ "Muni to begin all-door boarding for buses on July 1". San Francisco Examiner. Archived from the original on April 26, 2012. Retrieved March 17, 2012.

External links

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