Which is significant because that’s what DART uses, and for the same reasons that the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority used to use it. The honor system, which means no ticket takers, no booths and no gates, was supposed to be more efficient. Yes, the agency knew it would lose money from people who didn’t buy tickets, but it wouldn’t lose as much as it would cost to install booths, gates, and the like.
Well, the agency was wrong, reports the N.Y. Times. Scofflaws cost the L.A. system $5 million a year, so the gates will go up sometime in 2008.
DART’s honor system has caused its share of controversy, and even the agency is aware of it. But, with a fare increase at the beginning of this year and its one cent sales tax, it doesn’t seem to have the same budget problems as L.A. Still, this will be something to watch.
