In March, unbeknownst to me, I apparently did not tap my trolley card correctly before hopping on. I was riding the trolley for about three stops when MTS security enforcement came on board and asked to check my card. I handed it to them without a care, but when they scanned it and saw that I hadn’t tapped, they asked me to step outside the trolley with them.

After having only ridden a few stops I asked to go and tap my card and be on my way. The officer said that it was no longer allowed to validate on the spot, which was news to me. He asked for my card, ID, and then began interrogating me for the better part of half an hour. I had a friend with me, so I wasn’t too scared, but the officer treated me as if I had committed the worst crime known to man. 

I explained to him that I had a valid fare with my City College semester pass and that I usually always tap. He replied by saying that I was a “freeloader” and that “people like you are trying to cheat the system which loses MTS $1 million a year.” 

Furthermore, I was accused of lying about my identity when he couldn’t find me in his system and was asked if my natural hair and eye color were really brown and if my name was actually spelled the way I told him it was. He even went as far as to say that I hadn’t tapped my card all day, even though I had that morning at 9 a.m., which he later verified but maintained that it wasn’t that morning. 

The whole ordeal felt like overkill. I had a valid student pass and made an honest mistake which was easily verifiable. I was vilified and berated for 30 minutes over something that was not serious enough to be treated that way. 

Beginning February 1st, 2025, MTS implemented a new policy that requires riders to tap their card before riding, without offering an opportunity to tap on the spot if they are caught without a ticket. This policy offers no wiggle room for any riders who may accidentally mis-tap their card or even those whose fare expired a minute prior. 

Previously, MTS officers would validate fares on the spot, whether it was at the trolley platform or in the trolley car. Although any college student in San Diego with a semester pass, or anyone with a prepaid pass, was still expected to tap, they were not penalized. MTS claims that this new policy was implemented because they were losing up to $1 million a year and that this will ensure that riders pay every single time.

MTS’s website states, “Rider Alert! Beginning Feb. 1, MTS Security will issue citations to riders who don’t have a valid fare. Security will no longer validate fares on board. Riders must tap every time, every ride before boarding.

A citation results in a $25 fine if cleared through the MTS Diversion Program. To avoid a citation, tap or scan your PRONTO card or app at a validator before boarding – every time, every ride!” 

Although I can understand the concerns of MTS, I believe that the way they are going about this new policy change will only generate resentment towards the company, not more revenue. Also, their website clarifies that riders must have a “valid fare.” Is having a prepaid pass not valid? They already have my money for the entire semester. Whether or not I tap it makes no difference in them getting paid. 

Penalizing students who have prepaid passes makes no sense and discourages buying a semester pass. The main point of a semester pass is convenience. Fining people for not tapping (no matter the reason) despite them having a valid fare feels as though the blame is being placed on them solely for not tapping. 

I personally have had a student semester trolley pass for the past two years. I usually tap it before riding the trolley but sometimes I slip up and forget or tap wrong. I never worried because the second leg of my trip is on the bus, where you must tap or pay to ride. It’s a lot harder to sneak onto the bus without paying because there’s only one entrance. My point? My card gets tapped either way. 

Additionally, in the MTS questions section of their website when asked if riders with a prepaid pass will get a fine for not tapping, they respond, “No. Day Passes and Monthly Passes are paid for upfront. Riders should still tap on a validator every time, every ride prior to boarding to ensure the fare is still valid. If a rider is given a citation but can prove they had a valid day or month pass at the time of the citation, they can appeal the citation with MTS.” 

In today’s political climate, I can’t imagine how scary it would be to be an immigrant, child, or mentally disabled person who has a valid pass but forgot to tap, only to be treated like a criminal. I’m someone who is very good at standing up for myself, but if I weren’t I would have been terrified that day. 

MTS can’t bully people into paying their fares, it doesn’t work like that. They also shouldn’t have officers who are telling people that they don’t have a valid fare when their website claims that they do. Their new policies should be easy to find in order for people to follow them.

Officers should follow the MTS policy, not just punish whoever they choose. They should be held accountable for their behavior. Otherwise, it could lead to certain people getting punished while others don’t. MTS is a public service; it directly serves the people. It should work harder to make public transportation easier to access, not harder.

Edited by David J. Bohnet and Danny Straus