Latest news with #publicTransport
CBS News
3 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
BART fare gates will soon accept credit and debit cards. Here's what to know
People taking BART will soon be able to use their credit or debit cards at the fare gates, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. The tap-to-pay feature launches the week of Aug. 18, according to the Clipper Executive Board. Valid cards include Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover. Payment options also include Apple Pay or Google Pay with a phone or watch. With the rollout of the new feature, there are some possible issues people with Clipper cards could face, such as "card clash." Jason Weinstein, the director of Clipper at MTC, explained during a July 28 meeting that card clash happens when a Clipper reader detects more than one card. How to avoid card clash depends on whether people use a physical Clipper card or a digital wallet. People with a plastic Clipper card should remove it from their wallet or purse to avoid the fare gate reader from detecting other cards. For those using an Android phone, the reader will charge the Clipper card first, Weinstein said. Apple's iPhone users can adjust the "express transit card" option in the wallet app to select which card is used. If the express transit card option is on for Clipper, the BART's fare gate reader will choose Clipper even if you have open payments on, Weinstein said. To use a credit or debit card instead, iPhone users can turn off the express transit card option for Clipper. During the meeting, Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District general manager Denis Mulligan voiced possible issues over tap-to-pay only being allowed on BART. Mulligan said BART passengers who transfer to a bus or other systems will still need to have a Clipper card, and credit card users wouldn't get their normal discount if they switch to Clipper for the transfer. The new payment feature is designed for BART riders connecting from an airport or for infrequent riders. Weinstein said another possible advantage would be cutting down on how many plastic cards are needed. There are plans for the credit card payment feature to be rolled out to other Bay Area public transit systems.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Moment staff on London's 'lawless' Tube appear to ignore two fare dodgers who shamelessly push their way through barriers next to where they are standing
This is the moment three Tube workers failed to react as two fare dodgers pushed their way through the barriers on a deserted concourse without paying - right in front of them. The shocking incident is believed to have taken place at the brand new Elizabeth Line station in Woolwich, south-east London last week. Footage shows the two young men brazenly pushing through the barriers designed for the disabled, families and people with luggage. The friends nonchalantly walked past members of station staff, who either failed to notice or more likely failed to act. The incident was captured by commuter Matt Stevens, who has started filming and shaming the fare dodgers, as well as the Transport for London staff who appear to do nothing. He said sarcastically: 'Staff on circa 40k a year standing and watching people barge through barriers with no tickets. Money well spent'. Weeks earlier, at the same station, he filmed 'dozens' of people doing the same. He said: 'Dozens of people breaking through the barriers and your 'enforcement officers' are stood twiddling their thumbs. What an insult to the taxpayers who pay their wages'. On another occasion he photographed a young man pushing through the barriers at Canary Wharf Station. He said in a tweet to TfL: 'He then proceeded to threaten me after I reminded him to buy a ticket. Your staff sat and watched'. MailOnline has asked Transport for London to comment. Hello again @TfL. Staff on circa 40k a year standing and watching people barge through barriers with no tickets. 👏👏 Money well spent. — Matt Stevens (@MattStevns) August 7, 2025 The fare dodgers push through the barriers while members of staff appeared to do nothing The friends nonchalantly walked past members of station staff, who either failed to notice or more likely failed to act Earlier this year the Mail revealed how TikTok influencers are brazenly showing London Underground passengers how to illegally travel for free by 'bumping' through the station ticket barriers. Young men are filming themselves laughing and joking with each other as they push through the wide-aisle gates in videos liked by hundreds of thousands of viewers. The gates, which were first installed in 2008 at a cost of £12million, are normally used by wheelchair users, older people, parents with children and travellers with luggage. But they are increasingly being used by fare dodgers who either push through the gap in the middle, or quickly follow someone in front of them who touches out. It comes amid a fare dodging epidemic on UK trains, with an official report published this week revealing staff believe the practice is becoming 'normalised' and they are struggling to cope with 'aggressive' passengers who refuse to buy tickets. Videos show young men at stations across the Tube network walking through barriers without being stopped by staff - and even explaining to others how to do it. In one clip posted by rapper Stepz, real name Samuel Agyei, he claims that Transport for London (TfL) have 'upgraded the barriers' but still pushes his way through. References to 'free TfL' and 'free travel' can be heard, as he tells the camera: 'I don't know why they made it look like it's hard to bump through when it's that easy.' In one clip posted by rapper Stepz, real name Samuel Agyei, he claims that Transport for London (TfL) have 'upgraded the barriers' but still pushes his way through at one station Another video by Tenton, who has 70,000 followers, sees the TikToker push through the barriers and ask: 'Mandem, at what age are we gonna stop bumping train?' The clip by Stepz, who has 3.5million TikTok followers, was called 'Still Easy' and has racked up 388,000 likes and nearly 1,000 comments since being posted in 2022. Another video by Tenton, who has 70,000 followers, sees the TikToker push through the barriers and ask: 'Mandem, at what age are we gonna stop bumping train?' He says: 'It's getting silly guys because I'm almost finished uni and I'm still bumping train.' As a staff member walks past, he tells them: 'Sorry, you didn't hear that.' Tenton continues: 'Realistically at what age are we gonna stop? When we got grey hairs we're not gonna be bumping train. Do you get it guys? I think the threshold is 25.' A third video by user CFCRocky7 features a man showing women how to push through the barrier at Stratford, with the caption: 'Saving NPCs [non-player characters] from extortionate train fares @Transport for London.' In another video posted by Parafactual, a series of commuters are shown at East Ham walking through the barriers without paying, following customers who do touch out. Similar videos have also appeared on other social media sites such as Instagram. A video by user CFCRocky7 features a man showing women how to push through the barrier at Stratford, with the caption: 'Saving NPCs [non-player characters] from extortionate train fares' In another video posted by Parafactual, a series of commuters are shown at East Ham station walking through the barriers without paying, following customers who do touch out One posted by Gavin Chee, which has racked up 80,000 views, is called: 'Different types of people bumping TfL. Can't lie know bare talkers.' This shows a series of different attempts to get through the barriers at a Bakerloo line station by the same man in a comedic style, categorised as 'The Scum Bag'; 'The Runner'; 'The Talker'; 'The Savage' and 'The Kwalis'. Fare dodgers are estimated to cost TfL around £130million a year in lost revenue. Wide-aisle gates are the main access point for chronic fare evaders, and TfL has trialled changes to how they work at some stations to see if they can reduce pushers. Siwan Hayward, TfL's director of security, policing and enforcement, said: 'The overwhelming majority of our customers pay the correct fare, however there is a minority who do attempt to travel without a valid ticket which is a criminal offence. 'Fare evasion is unacceptable. That is why we are strengthening our capability to deter and detect fare evaders, including expanding our team of professional investigators to target the most prolific fare evaders across the network. 'This builds on the work of our team of more than 500 uniformed officers already deployed across the network to deal with fare evasion and other anti-social behaviour, keeping staff and customers safe.' Robert Jenrick confronts people pushing through the barriers at Stratford station in London An estimated 3.4 per cent of passengers did not pay fares between April and December 2024 – and they face a fine of £100 if caught, although this is halved if paid within a fortnight Ms Hayward added: 'Fare evasion is not a victimless crime. It robs Londoners of vital investment in a safe, frequent and reliable transport network and we are committed to reducing the current rate of fare evasion to 1.5 per cent by 2030.' And a British Transport Police spokesman said: 'Ticket fraud is not a victimless crime - the cost is passed down to the honest fare-paying members of the travelling public. 'We are committed to working closely alongside the railway industry to tackle fare evasion and regularly support them with high visibility patrols at known hotspot locations.' TikTok said it has removed videos which violate its community guidelines around criminal behaviour, and has also blocked associated hashtags and search terms related to this. The social media firm's guidelines state that it does not allow content which promotes or provides instructions on how to commit criminal activities that may harm people or property. Between October and December last year, TikTok claims to have proactively removed 97.1 per cent of content which violated its violence and criminal behaviour policies before it was reported to the firm. The Channel 5 programme 'Fare Evaders: At War With The Law' shows a passenger pushing the gates at Kingston station in London without touching out before attacking police officers Meanwhile a report by the Office of Road and Rail (ORR) released on Wednesday found travellers are using 'a range of techniques to persistently' underpay or avoid paying and see it as a 'victimless crime'. Staff enduring abusive behaviour when asking fare-dodgers to present their tickets are warning that evasion is becoming 'increasingly more challenging to tackle'. The report had been commissioned to look at concerns some passengers were being unfairly prosecuted by train operators over genuine mistakes when buying tickets. But it found fare evasion is a mounting problem now costing taxpayers £400million a year which is resulting in higher fares and less investment cash to improve services. The Mail highlighted some of the worst cases of evasion in exclusive clips from the Channel 5 series Fare Dodgers: At War With The Law, airing on Monday nights at 9pm. And shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick tweeted a video last week in which he confronted people pushing through the barriers at Stratford station in London. It comes after separate video showed furious passengers taking the law into their own hands when a Tube passenger dropped his trousers in a packed carriage. British Transport Police (BTP) believe the naked man, who has since been detained under the mental health act, was assaulted on the District line in east London. Up to four men stepped in when he repeatedly refused to pull up his pants at 3.30pm last Thursday. He was pinned to the floor and carried off the train before being arrested by an off duty police officer. But detectives are probing whether the vigilantes committed any criminal offences in the confrontation after he refused to pull up his pants. BTP has appealed for witnesses to the incident but there have been no arrests over the brawl. 'The man had been assaulted by a number of other passengers and was initially arrested by an off duty officer, before being detained under the mental health act and taken to hospital,' the BTP statement said. 'An investigation into the incident is ongoing.' It comes after separate video showed furious passengers taking the law into their own hands when a Tube passenger dropped his trousers in a packed carriage A group carried him off the train and pinned him down on the platform, waiting for help to arrive The Daily Mail revealed how he began yelling after the eastbound train travelled between Upton Park and East Ham. He then dropped his trousers and put his belt around his neck. His bottom and genitals were on show, sparking anger and revulsion around him on the train, which was busy with children who are on their summer holidays. A passenger stood up and quickly confronted him, gesticulating angrily. He politely and firmly told him: 'You need to get off the train.' But the man began repeatedly yelling back: 'F*** off.' The commuter said in response: 'What do you mean "f*** off"? You need to get off the f***ing train. Now. There are kids on here.' Footage of the incident showed up to four men kicking and punching the naked man, who was hitting them with his belt. The video then cut to him being pinned to the floor of the carriage. The man was then unceremoniously carried on to the Tube platform at East Ham and dumped to the floor. He was then pinned down as the commuters tried to alert staff. It appears an off duty police officer was on the train and performed an arrest and he was taken to hospital. It is yet another horrifying incident on the Tube, which is run by Sir Sadiq Khan's Transport for London (TfL). Since he became Mayor in 2016, Tube crime rates have more than doubled, and today he has been accused of ignoring a manifesto pledge to maintain a 24-hour police front counter in every borough in the capital. Just last month a brawl broke out on the steps of a packed station - with a screaming toddler ending up on the floor in the chaos.
CTV News
09-08-2025
- Business
- CTV News
On-demand transit has launched in Pembroke. Will it return to Ottawa?
The City of Pembroke officially launched its on-demand transit project this week, offering a new way to get around in the community west of Ottawa. Pembroke's Ottawa River Transit service allows residents to book trips a minimum of 15 minutes in advance using a smartphone app, a web browser, or by phone, and trips can be booked up to seven days in advance. The service uses three Dodge ProMasters, equipped to accommodate up to eight passengers each. Two of these vehicles will be in regular operation during peak service hours, with an additional unit on standby as a backup to ensure uninterrupted service. The three-year pilot project officially launched Tuesday. Deputy Mayor Brian Abdallah told Newstalk 580 CFRA's Ottawa Now with Kristy Cameron that there's a lot of excitement for the idea. 'The response has been overwhelming and everyone's excited,' he said. 'This project is a culmination of five years of community collaboration and the support of the past city council and this city council. It's a transformational change for the community and I know it's going to be a success.' As an initiative partly funded by property taxes, the on-demand transit service will operate exclusively within city limits, at a fare of $5 per ride, the City of Pembroke said in a news release. The service operates on a stop-to-stop model, with 'virtual stops' throughout the city. Passengers can anticipate an approximately five-minute walk to their designated stops, with exact details provided upon booking, though Abdallah says it's often a shorter distance. Routing is dynamic, based on where passengers want to go. 'If you're going from the east-end mall to the west-end mall, and nobody's at the hospital, it doesn't go there. It's a more efficient system,' he said. Abdallah said if the service becomes a success, it could be expanded in the future. Will Ottawa see on-demand transit again? The City of Ottawa tested an on-demand transit project in Blackburn Hamlet last year. The pilot project on Sundays and holidays between Feb. 11 and June 23, with 191 trips taken. OC Transpo deemed the test project a success. Orléans West-Innes Coun. Laura Dudas, whose ward includes Blackburn Hamlet, told Newstalk 580 CFRA's Ottawa Now she used the on-demand transit when it was available. 'Everyone I spoke to had really go experiences, found that it was a very effective trip,' she said. 'I was one of the riders who used it almost every Sunday… I think it was a wonderful addition to our community.' Dudas says she hopes to see on-demand transit not only return to Blackburn Hamlet but also expand to other parts of Ottawa. 'This could be a wonderful success for some of the rural areas,' she said. 'It has to be deployed in an area that's almost like a village feel. Stittsville would be a prime example. Blackburn was perfect because it has a solidified boundary with the Greenbelt. It can't be going too far away from its main source of customers because that would erode the service for everyone else, so you'd have to have a dense pocket of commuters that you can attach to.' OC Transpo said after the pilot project ended that it was ordering 10 new minibuses to be used for future on-demand service. The buses were originally slated to arrive this year, but the current timeline is now the spring of 2026. OC Transpo spokesperson David Jones told CTV News Ottawa in an email OC Transpo is also looking at an improved on-demand transit app. 'Staff will be issuing a Request for Proposal for a software solution to support a longer-term on-demand service across more areas of the city. Further details about the expansion of OC Transpo On-Demand will be shared with Transit Committee once the new service areas are identified,' Jones wrote.
BBC News
03-08-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Derby: Two Sunday bus services axed over passenger numbers
Two Sunday bus services are being axed at the end of August as "revisions" are made to timetables in has announced the changes, which will take effect from 30 includes ending the 4 Derby to Alvaston and the X38 Derby to Burton-on-Trent journeys on a changes are "due to low customer use", said Arriva. From Monday to Saturday, both will run up to every half an hour "to reflect customer demand", but the 4 will no longer serve Derby Commercial Park due to low passenger for the 5/5A to Littleover, 6/7 to Sunnyhill and Sinfin, 8 to Mackworth, 20/21 to Chaddesden and Spondon, and 26 to Oakwood will be revised from 30 Arriva spokesperson said: "It is important to make sure your bus services are kept up to date, and we will be making some revisions."
Telegraph
15-07-2025
- Telegraph
My £1,000-a-month commute is so hellish I'm forced to move to London
My mother often says that 'hell is not a place, it's other people'. But I have in fact come to discover that it is a place. That place, or rather journey, is the West Midlands Railway service to Milton Keynes Central. Every week, I spend hours on their trains. I'm often hit by delays or cancellations, and am nearly always late home, questioning my sanity as I sprint alongside hundreds of others to fight for a space. It should take an hour to get to work – taxi to the station, train to Euston, then four stops on the Victoria line. But one day last week, I spent a record seven hours of my life commuting. That's a full work day, and I had to pay for the privilege of being there. Now, after three years of spending nearly £1,000 a month on a journey that truly brings out the worst in humanity, I'm moving to London and saying goodbye to my savings. My monthly travel outgoings consist of taxis to and from the station, costing between £10 and £15. My peak-time return train journey costs £18.60, even with a 16-25 railcard. Then add another £5.80 a day for a sweltering ride on the Victoria line. In all, I spend an average of £247 a week, or £988 a month. It's no longer financially beneficial for me to continue living at home. A monthly ticket from Hemel Hempstead to Euston is £470.80 (railcard discounts don't apply), meaning it's actually more expensive than what I'm paying now. Even my 17-year-old brother spends £100 on train fares just to get to college... one stop away. In March, fares rose 4.6pc. At the same time, thousands of trains journeys go nowhere every year. On average, 3.4pc of UK trains are cancelled – rising to 4.3pc on West Midlands routes, lucky me! On top of cancellations, there are delays. Only 64pc of West Midlands trains run on time, and last year more than 200,000 trains were cancelled. Delays cause overcrowding. I'm often left without a seat, or forced to wait for the next train. Then, of course, there are the strikes which leave me stranded. This has left me facing the London dilemma. Do I pay more to rent in London and save my sanity? I stayed home while studying for a master's degree, planning to move out after, but couldn't afford to on the £22,000 salary I earned at my first job. I'm in a different position now, but moving will still significantly dent my bank balance. Unsurprisingly, I am not alone. More than half of all 20- to 24-year-olds still live at home. Moving to London is, financially, barely palatable. According to Spareroom, the listings site, the average price for rent in London is £980 per month. This excludes ever-rising council tax, groceries – and of course, the cost of a pint. But I think I might go mad if I spend too much time waiting for my train to never arrive. I just have to decide which financial stress suits me more. My number one priority when I move into the city is to cut down my commute. Thankfully, my housemates-to-be are keen to live fairly centrally. But £1,000 a month really does not go very far. I'll likely end up in an ex-council flat, with no outdoor space, dishwasher or nearby Tube station. I have friends who were forced to move out of their flat when water started pouring through their light fixtures and it was deemed potentially life-threatening to continue living there. Their landlord painted over the damage. Now, they're taking legal action to get their deposit back. While this may all sound like a first-world problem, I think it speaks to a wider issue of Britain's failing essential services. If I'm feeling forced to move into London, I can assume I'm not the only one. This is only going to contribute to the housing crisis in the capital and push rent prices up as rooms become even more competitive. Without living at home, I couldn't have afforded my master's degree or accepted a £22,000 salary to start my career. But most young people don't have that option. Now, I can barely afford to live rent-free because I'm being fleeced daily. Ultimately, I have been left with no choice. I'll be moving into London in two months. I'm not sure how I'll save for a house or have a life, but at least I won't be running for the train.
