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04-19-2007, 08:22 PM
Large number of cable car passengers riding for free
Rachel Gordon, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, April 19, 2007
(04-19) 11:01 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- Passengers who hop on a San Francisco cable car have a 40 percent chance of riding for free, according to findings of a City Controller's audit released this morning.
City auditors -- working undercover -- made 42 boardings along San Francisco's three cable car routes in January and February to determine whether conductors were properly collecting the $5 fare.
In 17 of those trips, the conductors never collected the cash fare. The auditors observed that conductors failed to collect fares from at least 76 other passengers during those trips.
The audit also found a few instances in which conductors allowed passengers to ride for free when they didn't have the exact fare.
"The agency needs to improve cable car fare collection practices,'' the report said.
The audit was conducted at the request of the Municipal Transportation Agency, which operates the city's public transit system. It comes after Mayor Gavin Newsom made a public stink last year when he accused cable car crews of illegally pocketing cash.
San Francisco's public transit system raises only 22 percent of its operating expenses at the fare box -- a rate that falls short of the national average -- in part because of broken fare boxes and riders who cheat the system.
There was some good news in the audit, which found that conductors properly issued receipts in 24 of the 25 boardings in which the fares were collected from the auditors. The receipts are used by management to reconcile the amount of money collected on the cable cars with the amount operators turn in at the end of the day.
The audit found that the worst collection rates were observed when the cable cars were crowded, and during morning and evening commutes. During their survey, auditors also tried to take into account the use of the monthly FastPass, a $45 pass that allows people to board any Municipal Railway vehicle without paying a cash fare, said audit division chief Peg Stevenson.
Muni chief Nathaniel Ford thanked the controller's office for the audit and said the problems that were highlighted would be addressed.
For instance, he said cable car crews will undergo increased training on the agency's fare collection process; undercover security personnel will be deployed to observe staff on the cable cars for quality control; and managers will be assigned to ride the cable cars "to demonstrate our interest.''
Rachel Gordon, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, April 19, 2007
(04-19) 11:01 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- Passengers who hop on a San Francisco cable car have a 40 percent chance of riding for free, according to findings of a City Controller's audit released this morning.
City auditors -- working undercover -- made 42 boardings along San Francisco's three cable car routes in January and February to determine whether conductors were properly collecting the $5 fare.
In 17 of those trips, the conductors never collected the cash fare. The auditors observed that conductors failed to collect fares from at least 76 other passengers during those trips.
The audit also found a few instances in which conductors allowed passengers to ride for free when they didn't have the exact fare.
"The agency needs to improve cable car fare collection practices,'' the report said.
The audit was conducted at the request of the Municipal Transportation Agency, which operates the city's public transit system. It comes after Mayor Gavin Newsom made a public stink last year when he accused cable car crews of illegally pocketing cash.
San Francisco's public transit system raises only 22 percent of its operating expenses at the fare box -- a rate that falls short of the national average -- in part because of broken fare boxes and riders who cheat the system.
There was some good news in the audit, which found that conductors properly issued receipts in 24 of the 25 boardings in which the fares were collected from the auditors. The receipts are used by management to reconcile the amount of money collected on the cable cars with the amount operators turn in at the end of the day.
The audit found that the worst collection rates were observed when the cable cars were crowded, and during morning and evening commutes. During their survey, auditors also tried to take into account the use of the monthly FastPass, a $45 pass that allows people to board any Municipal Railway vehicle without paying a cash fare, said audit division chief Peg Stevenson.
Muni chief Nathaniel Ford thanked the controller's office for the audit and said the problems that were highlighted would be addressed.
For instance, he said cable car crews will undergo increased training on the agency's fare collection process; undercover security personnel will be deployed to observe staff on the cable cars for quality control; and managers will be assigned to ride the cable cars "to demonstrate our interest.''
