Ripping off tourists

Michael Macor

From Randal O'Toole:

...San Francisco’s Muni is upset to discover that one out of four transit riders on the city’s famous cable cars aren’t asked if they have paid their fares. Since most riders pay before they board, this doesn’t mean that one in four haven’t paid, only that they haven’t had their tickets checked by the conductor.

The 2016 National Transit Database indicated that Muni collects $6 in fares for every vehicle-revenue mile of bus operations; less than $8 for light rail; slightly more than $8 for trolley buses; and $11 for streetcars. But it collects $112 per vehicle-revenue mile that cable cars operate. The Antiplanner suggests that Muni fare evaders on the cable cars are a much lower priority than boosting ridership on its other modes of transit...

Rob's comment:

The cable cars make more money because the fare is $7.00, and you can't get a transfer! Cable cars rip off everyone, but they mostly rip off tourists, not residents of San Francisco, who don't ride them often.

By the way, most people board cable cars before they pay, though of course you can buy a ticket ahead of time.

See also Okay to rip off tourists, not residents/voters