HOBOKEN — NJ Transit's Light Rail ticketing system relies on a pseudo honor system, though transit experts object to the description.



Enforcement officers periodically check passengers' tickets, but are not at every station every day. For some, their absence is an invitation to skip out on buying a ticket. NJ Transit says most riders use the system as intended and pay the fare.

Serial evaders will most likely get caught. And for riders in a rush, getting pulled aside by a ticket enforcement officer may serve as enough of a deterrent for evading ticket fare.

That being said, some passengers say riding the light rail for free can be easy.

Here are five types of riders who have been observed cheating the system at various light rail stations.

1. The "risk-taking" riders



These riders ignore the gnawing fear that they will run into a ticket enforcement officer because they think it’s worth the risk.

Fines for ticket evasion on NJ Transit's Light Rail can reach $100. A person who rides the Hudson-Bergen line twice every day would spend $1,533 on single rides or $768 on monthly passes for the year. This means that even if these riders are caught and fined seven times for not having a valid ticket, they are technically still saving money by attempting to get a free ride. The catch, and it's a big one, is if this type of rider repeatedly gets caught, he or she can be arrested instead of just being issued a summons.

2. The "hop-on, hop-off" riders

Sometimes ticket enforcement officers can be spotted getting on and off the light rail. Usually when this happens, these riders can be seen getting off the train. These riders are usually not in a rush, so they can hop off the train without the enforcer noticing and maybe hop on another train without an officer.

3. The "oops I forgot to validate" riders

These riders are willing to lie to ticket enforcers. Light rail tickets have to be manually time stamped, and when tickets are bought in bulk, it can be easy to forget to validate them. These riders intentionally don't validate their tickets and plan to explain the “oversight” if they encounter an enforcement officer.

4. The "looking for a hand-off" riders

Light rail tickets are valid for 60 minutes on the Hudson-Bergen line, so these riders will look for generous rule-abiding riders getting off the train to make a clandestine handoff of a validated ticket. Many riders also look on top of the ticket validating machines for tickets left by other passengers.

5. The "pay-it-forward" riders



While following the rules for their own ride, these riders will help fellow passengers out by passing along their validated tickets, seeing these handoffs as opportunities to get more for their money. Plus, these riders may be betting on there being a karma for cheaters, increasing their chances of finding a passenger willing to hand-off when they're in need of a free validated ticket.

Kathryn Brenzel may be reached at kbrenzel@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @katiebrenzel. Find NJ.com on Facebook.