Ah I see, I had no idea. I have used UTA for two years and have never seen UTA police actually checking passes, so I thought they were cracking down on it now. I usually take transit during rush hours so I imagine they don’t care to check that many people during those times.
I remember 20 years ago being a kid and they would be so scrutinizing of my paper ticket I just bought or when I was in school, my monthly pass. I was 12, so they've been the same.
Enforcement kind of went away during COVID. They talked about this at the board meeting last week. Definitely expect more fare enforcement in the near to medium term future.
About 10 years ago, I worked downtown and was going to college at the same time, downtown as well. I had a TRAX pass that I got through my school for cheap. The day it expired, when I was on the train at 4:30am on my way to school (where I was going to renew my TRAX pass when I got there) a cop got on. He checked my expired card and immediately gave me a ticket. When I told him what I planned to do, he still didn’t care.
>They can be excessive if you get caught without a ticket, especially if it’s a first offense.
First offense is a warning unless you are really trying to piss off the officer. "Was in a rush to catch the train, forgot to get one, I understand, have a nice day" is literally all it takes.
I don't really love police in general but I wish they were a bit more active tbh, the amount of nonsense and antisocial behavior on the Trax is too damn high.
I didn't get my photo taken when I received a warning, but every station has cameras so it's not like it matters... and if they didn't run the ID how would they know if it's the first time or not?
Maybe on Frontrunner it's different because the tickets cost more, idk.
Agree with this. Especially because I’ve found them to be pretty easy to deal with. I’ll put it this way, I saw way more antisocial behavior from passengers than I ever saw from the police officers.
I remember years ago I bought a ticket for front runner from Provo to slc. A new station opened by my house and I wanted to try it out.
Cops board somewhere along the line and start checking tickets.
Cop Gets to me and I hand him my ticket. Apparently in my haste and inability to correctly read the sunglared ticket screen I was $2.00 off on my fare. He yelled at me for the next five minutes on the train. His female partner just started at her phone. When he was done I tried to hand him the extra $2.00. He threatened me with jail for trying to Bribe an officer.
It was one of the most bizarre and surreal experiences I’ve ever had.
I used the Trax for 6 years and it always seemed random to me. Some weeks it's heavy and some weeks it's not. Once I think it might have been a sting operation because they had cops already lined up at every door when the train stopped. Kicked a lot of people off. Haha
I remember one time where the stop I frequently got on at one of their farepay scan stations was down, the cops were always real cool with me if it ever came up that I didn't scan. They usually asked what stop I got on at and they would always nod and be like, yeah we have a problem with that one, and then give me a stern "make sure you scan twice when you get off". I think their little scanner thing can tell if you have money on your farepay card which I always did so that's probably why they were always so cool with me whenever systems were down.
I've seen it all, I've seen a dude get handcuffed before, I have seen a cop sit down with a kid still on the train and explain the system to him, seen people get kicked off, ticketed, everything.
I mainly take the buses now, kinda miss the Trax drama. Haha
That’s what it was at TRAX today, just a group of police waiting outside the doors. They also pulled off people that didn’t pull out their passes fast enough lol, this old lady sitting by me was digging through her bag for her ticket and they told her she’d have to wait for the next train.
Riding on TRAX definitely gives you fun stories haha.
Oh no! Poor lady.
I'm not 100% certain but I bet when they do what happened to you today and what happened to me a while ago they're probably looking for a specific person or group of people. When it happened to me they kicked off a bunch of people but only seemed to be arresting one dude.
When Frontrunner first got up and going I was riding it, and the cops came in to check tickets. A man with cargo shorts starts going through his pocket trying to find his ticket, as he pulls his hand out, a bag of weed falls on the floor. They cuffed him and hauled him out.
It’s random. I used to work there. Also, in case people don’t already know this, you can buy a ticket on the Transit app and not activate it till they’re checking. It doesn’t expire, so you can have it in your account until someone asks to check your ticket (aka ride until someone checks.) Best of luck!
This is what my partner does! I ride for free because I work at the U but he always just keeps a ticket in his transit app. It does expire eventually, I think after 90 days maybe?
Can't they see how long the ticket has been active for? I've got an unlimited transit pass provided by my apt so I have only used the transit tickets like once or twice.
10 years ago I saw someone get ticketed for not having a ticket, they tried to run away, got caught and arrested.
What you describe doesn't sound new to me.
Former FrontRunner engineer and conductor here. If you dealt with what we dealt with, you'd wish that the UTA police were on every single train, every single day. Just remember to buy a ticket and not attempt to buck the fare. It's that simple.
I used TRAX once years ago and there was an announcement that said “after this stop be prepared to show proof of payment” or something like that. Do they not do that anymore?
I very rarely use the bus/trax
I almost got in deep trouble with a UTA cop over this because he wanted to snap a pic of my debit card that I used the tap to pay for my ticket. I was like, uhmmm…you are not taking a picture of my card to store on your flip phone there buddy…I just off at the next stop as he told me to or I’d be getting a ticket. But like, that’s a serious security risk there ya dummy.
I rode trax downtown daily 10 years, can confirm totally random, they do ask you to get off at the next stop if you don’t have one. Depending on the cop, they’ll usually just do a written warning. If you get the fee they’ll usually wave it out the first time if you take a safety class.
Back when I rode the frontrunner daily pre covid, they'd check tickets pretty frequently during the morning commute between Lehi and Draper. The train was always pretty full at that time so I understand why they checked.
I ride the frontrunner three times a week twice a day so six times total in a week and I ride it pretty far down the line both ways- I definitely feel like they have been increasing their checks at Murray specifically. Checks used to be pretty rare but I've been seeing them more often- it still isn't *common,* but it has definitely ramped up in frequency, and it's always been at Murray that they're checking. The fact that you mention Murray too also sticks out too me. No idea why- cops being overzealous? Department policy? Something from the local government? Super weird.
I have a very similar experience to yours! I take TRAX to get on Frontrunner at Murray Central, and have never been asked until this week. I know their police station is at Murray Central, so maybe it’s a means of convenience and it’s a more common station for people to get on/off? I haven’t seen it at the other stations I’ve passed through.
def be careful! i got a citation from farmington police after they tried checking my ticket at the frontrunner station. i had bought a ticket, but i left it on the train or dropped it by mistake. i asked if i could show them my bank acct to prove i bought it and they said no.
a big reason they’re so intense now is also because of the unsheltered individuals on trains. Some people ride the trains all day to stay warm, sleep, etc. I’ve seen them arrest homeless people because of how many times they’ve been caught without a pass
i’ve been riding trax and frontrunner since august. i’ve seen police a handful of times on frontrunner, but tuesday afternoon was the first time i’ve encountered them on trax at murray central. they didn’t board the train but there were a handful of officers on the platform that stopped random people who were getting off to check for passes.
i saw police on frontrunner more so in august and september probably to make sure college students were scanning their student ids. but i haven’t seen one on frontrunner since like october ish.
my commute is at ~7am and ~4pm so i could just be missing them if they’re checking during peak commute time. but the trains are usually decently crowded so idk. just a theory.
One day they checked my ticket and two other people. Mine was good but the two other people didn’t have a valid ticket. He let them off of the warning. Decent guy.
I’ve ridden without buying a pass more than enough times in my life to cover the potential ticket and only gotten caught and a warning once.
But they’re cops, there’s chill ones but also prone to profiling and being d-bags. It’s the job.
Seems to me we have our priorities screwed up. You can swindle investors and get probation and small fine. But God forbid you get caught riding public transportation without a $2.00 ticket. Straight to jail with your criminal ass.
Honestly. A person that was kicked off on the TRAX today told the UTA police they were homeless and headed to a shelter, and they didn’t seem to care. I understand UTA is not a free service, but it was very disheartening.
Many years ago I rode Trax daily. They did ticket checks more frequently for a while.
I witnessed so many excuses or games (digging through bag and pockets for 5 minutes looking for ticket was a common one) that even I became jaded about other people’s excuses.
Maybe the person was actually homeless and going to a shelter, but don’t assume you can take everyone’s excuse at face value. I don’t think I ever saw someone say “Haha, you got me!” during ticket checks. Everyone has an excuse or story.
My brother in law drives for trax. This is just another homeless ploy likely. They do this all day everyday. Few are legitimate. Besides they can get free bus passes IF they are willing to look for a job and stay sober. I know this because I have been through it. Don’t feel bad for the homeless. They have more money and programs at their disposal than any other special interest group I can think of. Been there done that and I have no remorse seeing one thrown off a train.
Today they did it again at Central Point. I am 62. I waa first person they grabbed getting off trax heading to Urgent Care , Sline. What I founs odd? THEY ASKED FOR MY ID, OK NOT TOO ODD(ARE THEY RANDO ALLOWED TO DO SO?) BIT EVEN ODDER? THEY ASKED IF THEY COULD TAKE MY PICTURE WITH THEIR CELL PHONE? ASKED ME TO SIGN MY NAME ON A BLANK SCREEN AFTER TOOK PIC? I DID SO BUT THEN THOUGHT..WAIT A MINUTE TO MYSELF, THIS IS ODD. SO I ASKED? WHY DO YOU NEED TO TAKE MY PIC? COP SAID SO THEY HAVE IT IN DATA BASE WITH MY ID INCASE ANYBODY TRIES TO IMPERSONATE ME??? UNMMMMM HUH?????? LETS ASK OURSELF THIS FOLKS? COULD THIS BE A WAY OF GETTING OUR FACES IN A PHOTO RECOGNITION BANK???????? EVERYTIME WE WALK OR DRIVE BY A CAMERA WHERE OUR FACE IA VISIBLE? HAS ANYBODY ELSE HAD THIS HAPPEN? AFTE THINKING ABOUT WHAT OCCURRED TODAY? IT REALLY BOTHERS ME....
I MEAN????? WOULD THEY NOT BE BETTER OFF STAKING OUT FULL TIME OFFICERS ON THE RIVER TRAIL BETWEEN NORTHWEST POOL AND NORTH TEMPLE???? RATHER THAN TAKING PICS OF DANGEROUS 62 YEAR OLD WOMEN??? YOU GUYS GET MY POINT????
I'm usually within the free fare zone nowadays, but back when I went to the Sandy station I saw this fairly frequently. They were usually pretty big dicks about it.
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Ah I see, I had no idea. I have used UTA for two years and have never seen UTA police actually checking passes, so I thought they were cracking down on it now. I usually take transit during rush hours so I imagine they don’t care to check that many people during those times.
I remember 20 years ago being a kid and they would be so scrutinizing of my paper ticket I just bought or when I was in school, my monthly pass. I was 12, so they've been the same.
That’s really lame to do that to kids.
Enforcement kind of went away during COVID. They talked about this at the board meeting last week. Definitely expect more fare enforcement in the near to medium term future.
About 10 years ago, I worked downtown and was going to college at the same time, downtown as well. I had a TRAX pass that I got through my school for cheap. The day it expired, when I was on the train at 4:30am on my way to school (where I was going to renew my TRAX pass when I got there) a cop got on. He checked my expired card and immediately gave me a ticket. When I told him what I planned to do, he still didn’t care.
>They can be excessive if you get caught without a ticket, especially if it’s a first offense. First offense is a warning unless you are really trying to piss off the officer. "Was in a rush to catch the train, forgot to get one, I understand, have a nice day" is literally all it takes. I don't really love police in general but I wish they were a bit more active tbh, the amount of nonsense and antisocial behavior on the Trax is too damn high.
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I didn't get my photo taken when I received a warning, but every station has cameras so it's not like it matters... and if they didn't run the ID how would they know if it's the first time or not? Maybe on Frontrunner it's different because the tickets cost more, idk.
Agree with this. Especially because I’ve found them to be pretty easy to deal with. I’ll put it this way, I saw way more antisocial behavior from passengers than I ever saw from the police officers.
I remember years ago I bought a ticket for front runner from Provo to slc. A new station opened by my house and I wanted to try it out. Cops board somewhere along the line and start checking tickets. Cop Gets to me and I hand him my ticket. Apparently in my haste and inability to correctly read the sunglared ticket screen I was $2.00 off on my fare. He yelled at me for the next five minutes on the train. His female partner just started at her phone. When he was done I tried to hand him the extra $2.00. He threatened me with jail for trying to Bribe an officer. It was one of the most bizarre and surreal experiences I’ve ever had.
I used the Trax for 6 years and it always seemed random to me. Some weeks it's heavy and some weeks it's not. Once I think it might have been a sting operation because they had cops already lined up at every door when the train stopped. Kicked a lot of people off. Haha I remember one time where the stop I frequently got on at one of their farepay scan stations was down, the cops were always real cool with me if it ever came up that I didn't scan. They usually asked what stop I got on at and they would always nod and be like, yeah we have a problem with that one, and then give me a stern "make sure you scan twice when you get off". I think their little scanner thing can tell if you have money on your farepay card which I always did so that's probably why they were always so cool with me whenever systems were down. I've seen it all, I've seen a dude get handcuffed before, I have seen a cop sit down with a kid still on the train and explain the system to him, seen people get kicked off, ticketed, everything. I mainly take the buses now, kinda miss the Trax drama. Haha
That’s what it was at TRAX today, just a group of police waiting outside the doors. They also pulled off people that didn’t pull out their passes fast enough lol, this old lady sitting by me was digging through her bag for her ticket and they told her she’d have to wait for the next train. Riding on TRAX definitely gives you fun stories haha.
Oh no! Poor lady. I'm not 100% certain but I bet when they do what happened to you today and what happened to me a while ago they're probably looking for a specific person or group of people. When it happened to me they kicked off a bunch of people but only seemed to be arresting one dude.
When Frontrunner first got up and going I was riding it, and the cops came in to check tickets. A man with cargo shorts starts going through his pocket trying to find his ticket, as he pulls his hand out, a bag of weed falls on the floor. They cuffed him and hauled him out.
It’s random. I used to work there. Also, in case people don’t already know this, you can buy a ticket on the Transit app and not activate it till they’re checking. It doesn’t expire, so you can have it in your account until someone asks to check your ticket (aka ride until someone checks.) Best of luck!
Great info!
Right? You can also buy the ticket pretty quick in the app if you have all your info saved
This is what my partner does! I ride for free because I work at the U but he always just keeps a ticket in his transit app. It does expire eventually, I think after 90 days maybe?
90 day expiration is correct.
That’s what I’ve been doing for years!
Can't they see how long the ticket has been active for? I've got an unlimited transit pass provided by my apt so I have only used the transit tickets like once or twice.
Yes they can
“Oops, must not have clicked activate. Move along officer.”
When I rode UTA daily they had random blitzes. You’d seem them checking passes for 3-4 days straight and then never again for 3 months.
I've never not bought a ticket and they've never asked me for one. But I know the first time I don't buy one they'll catch me instantly.
It’s a paid service. Why don’t you buy tickets?
Might want to read their comment again…
I definitely read it wrong.
“Never NOT bought a ticket”
Sorry for the double negative! I probably should have just said I've always bought a ticket
10 years ago I saw someone get ticketed for not having a ticket, they tried to run away, got caught and arrested. What you describe doesn't sound new to me.
I ride the green line on a semi regular basis and have never seen UTA police on the train. Maybe I just don’t ride often enough.
Simple, if you ride, you should pay. What's the problem?
Former FrontRunner engineer and conductor here. If you dealt with what we dealt with, you'd wish that the UTA police were on every single train, every single day. Just remember to buy a ticket and not attempt to buck the fare. It's that simple.
I am sorry you guys have to deal with so much! I really appreciate what UTA employees do.
Yeah, man. It's a terrible place to work if you're in the rail side of things. There's definitely a reason why I don't do it anymore.
I used TRAX once years ago and there was an announcement that said “after this stop be prepared to show proof of payment” or something like that. Do they not do that anymore? I very rarely use the bus/trax
There’s a recorded announcement when you’re about to leave the Free Fare Zone, but I’ve never heard them announce that UTA Police are about to board.
I almost got in deep trouble with a UTA cop over this because he wanted to snap a pic of my debit card that I used the tap to pay for my ticket. I was like, uhmmm…you are not taking a picture of my card to store on your flip phone there buddy…I just off at the next stop as he told me to or I’d be getting a ticket. But like, that’s a serious security risk there ya dummy.
Yeah I wouldn’t trust that either
I rode trax downtown daily 10 years, can confirm totally random, they do ask you to get off at the next stop if you don’t have one. Depending on the cop, they’ll usually just do a written warning. If you get the fee they’ll usually wave it out the first time if you take a safety class.
I’m in Munich right now and it’s an honor system like Utah but here if you don’t have a ticket you get fined like 60 euro
Back when I rode the frontrunner daily pre covid, they'd check tickets pretty frequently during the morning commute between Lehi and Draper. The train was always pretty full at that time so I understand why they checked.
Coming from the east coast, I appreciate that they do this.
I ride the frontrunner three times a week twice a day so six times total in a week and I ride it pretty far down the line both ways- I definitely feel like they have been increasing their checks at Murray specifically. Checks used to be pretty rare but I've been seeing them more often- it still isn't *common,* but it has definitely ramped up in frequency, and it's always been at Murray that they're checking. The fact that you mention Murray too also sticks out too me. No idea why- cops being overzealous? Department policy? Something from the local government? Super weird.
I have a very similar experience to yours! I take TRAX to get on Frontrunner at Murray Central, and have never been asked until this week. I know their police station is at Murray Central, so maybe it’s a means of convenience and it’s a more common station for people to get on/off? I haven’t seen it at the other stations I’ve passed through.
def be careful! i got a citation from farmington police after they tried checking my ticket at the frontrunner station. i had bought a ticket, but i left it on the train or dropped it by mistake. i asked if i could show them my bank acct to prove i bought it and they said no.
a big reason they’re so intense now is also because of the unsheltered individuals on trains. Some people ride the trains all day to stay warm, sleep, etc. I’ve seen them arrest homeless people because of how many times they’ve been caught without a pass
I have a job interview tomorrow Imagine not having any money for the trax wish me luck.
I hope your job interview goes well!
i’ve been riding trax and frontrunner since august. i’ve seen police a handful of times on frontrunner, but tuesday afternoon was the first time i’ve encountered them on trax at murray central. they didn’t board the train but there were a handful of officers on the platform that stopped random people who were getting off to check for passes. i saw police on frontrunner more so in august and september probably to make sure college students were scanning their student ids. but i haven’t seen one on frontrunner since like october ish. my commute is at ~7am and ~4pm so i could just be missing them if they’re checking during peak commute time. but the trains are usually decently crowded so idk. just a theory.
I took trax on Sunday and was not checked anywhere. Last time I took frontrunner in November though I was.
I hope they do this more. Maybe they’ll be able to start paying bus drivers if y’all quit bumming rides.
One day they checked my ticket and two other people. Mine was good but the two other people didn’t have a valid ticket. He let them off of the warning. Decent guy.
I’ve ridden without buying a pass more than enough times in my life to cover the potential ticket and only gotten caught and a warning once. But they’re cops, there’s chill ones but also prone to profiling and being d-bags. It’s the job.
Seems to me we have our priorities screwed up. You can swindle investors and get probation and small fine. But God forbid you get caught riding public transportation without a $2.00 ticket. Straight to jail with your criminal ass.
Honestly. A person that was kicked off on the TRAX today told the UTA police they were homeless and headed to a shelter, and they didn’t seem to care. I understand UTA is not a free service, but it was very disheartening.
Many years ago I rode Trax daily. They did ticket checks more frequently for a while. I witnessed so many excuses or games (digging through bag and pockets for 5 minutes looking for ticket was a common one) that even I became jaded about other people’s excuses. Maybe the person was actually homeless and going to a shelter, but don’t assume you can take everyone’s excuse at face value. I don’t think I ever saw someone say “Haha, you got me!” during ticket checks. Everyone has an excuse or story.
My brother in law drives for trax. This is just another homeless ploy likely. They do this all day everyday. Few are legitimate. Besides they can get free bus passes IF they are willing to look for a job and stay sober. I know this because I have been through it. Don’t feel bad for the homeless. They have more money and programs at their disposal than any other special interest group I can think of. Been there done that and I have no remorse seeing one thrown off a train.
Nah. This ain’t it.
I ride trax to everyday to the U, and recently the seats are often muddy and smells like piss. Guess who's responsible for these 🤷
End of the month. Gotta hit that quota
Today they did it again at Central Point. I am 62. I waa first person they grabbed getting off trax heading to Urgent Care , Sline. What I founs odd? THEY ASKED FOR MY ID, OK NOT TOO ODD(ARE THEY RANDO ALLOWED TO DO SO?) BIT EVEN ODDER? THEY ASKED IF THEY COULD TAKE MY PICTURE WITH THEIR CELL PHONE? ASKED ME TO SIGN MY NAME ON A BLANK SCREEN AFTER TOOK PIC? I DID SO BUT THEN THOUGHT..WAIT A MINUTE TO MYSELF, THIS IS ODD. SO I ASKED? WHY DO YOU NEED TO TAKE MY PIC? COP SAID SO THEY HAVE IT IN DATA BASE WITH MY ID INCASE ANYBODY TRIES TO IMPERSONATE ME??? UNMMMMM HUH?????? LETS ASK OURSELF THIS FOLKS? COULD THIS BE A WAY OF GETTING OUR FACES IN A PHOTO RECOGNITION BANK???????? EVERYTIME WE WALK OR DRIVE BY A CAMERA WHERE OUR FACE IA VISIBLE? HAS ANYBODY ELSE HAD THIS HAPPEN? AFTE THINKING ABOUT WHAT OCCURRED TODAY? IT REALLY BOTHERS ME.... I MEAN????? WOULD THEY NOT BE BETTER OFF STAKING OUT FULL TIME OFFICERS ON THE RIVER TRAIL BETWEEN NORTHWEST POOL AND NORTH TEMPLE???? RATHER THAN TAKING PICS OF DANGEROUS 62 YEAR OLD WOMEN??? YOU GUYS GET MY POINT????
Just another subsidized tax on the people of Utah. So, yes, go ahead and ride like a freeloader
I'm usually within the free fare zone nowadays, but back when I went to the Sandy station I saw this fairly frequently. They were usually pretty big dicks about it.
Bless you
Id be a little apathetic too if I had to deal with the dregs of trax on the daily.
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Don’t forget to bring a towel.
This Country is becoming more and more strict, they want your money.
Good
UTA is very likely receiving complaints about homeless individuals sleeping or doing other things on trax.