MARTA cracks down on rail fare dodgers

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) has arrested 536 fare evaders during a recent six-week crackdown, the agency announced late last week.

Over the past six weeks, plainclothes officers have actively monitored fare gates across MARTA's 38 rail stations for riders hopping on board without paying. The effort led to hundreds of arrests and suspensions from the agency's system, MARTA officials said in a press release.

Individuals arrested for fare evasion automatically receive a 60-day suspension from using MARTA's bus and rail services. If a fare evader is arrested and fails to produce valid identification, the suspect is then lodged in jail.

"We take fare evasion extremely seriously and will continue to work to ensure the safety and security for all of our customers," said MARTA General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Keith Parker. "Every year, transit authorities across the nation lose millions of dollars in revenue due to fare evaders. We are actively working to curb this behavior through the efforts of our Fare Evasion Task Force."

MARTA's police department this year developed the task force. The evasion crackdown is part of MARTA's "Ride with Respect" initiative, which focuses on passenger safety and the agency's customer code of conduct.