BART’s bid to catch fare evaders has yet to leave the station

Police have conducted fare-enforcement campaigns at targeted BART stations but often are unable to fine scofflaws because they lack citation machines or backup paper citation books. Police have conducted fare-enforcement campaigns at targeted BART stations but often are unable to fine scofflaws because they lack citation machines or backup paper citation books. Photo: Jessica Christian, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Jessica Christian, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close BART’s bid to catch fare evaders has yet to leave the station 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

BART’s high-profile crackdown on fare evaders has been stymied by technical problems and other issues, officials said Tuesday, delaying efforts to deter cheaters who cost the agency an estimated $25 million a year.

After months of planning, the transit agency sent teams of fare inspectors into stations and onto trains in early January. The idea was to sweep through crowds of riders, issuing warnings to scofflaws for a month before handing out civil citations — similar to parking tickets — starting Feb. 1.

But the agency’s new handheld, proof-of-payment scanners had to be held back for repairs after tests showed a high error rate when scanning paper tickets. That left the fare inspectors empty-handed, forced to ask riders to flash their tickets or pre-paid Clipper cards and take it on faith that riders had actually used those tickets and cards at the gates.

But the problem goes deeper. Even if the BART community service officers would have had functional scanners on Feb. 1, they wouldn’t have been able to dole out citations, officials acknowledged. That’s because BART is still working to acquire handheld citation machines as well as backup paper citation books.

The agency said Tuesday it hopes to fix the problems and start issuing citations by the end of the month. One member of the Board of Directors put a positive spin on the delay, saying it meant more time for public education before the penalties kick in.

“We’re happy to have another month to deliver warnings, a grace period,” said Bevan Dufty. “Our objective is not to write tickets, but to have people pay the fare.”

Fare evaders have dogged BART for years, with hundreds if not thousands of people sneaking onto trains every day, often by simply slipping through swinging gates designed to provide access to riders who arrive with wheelchairs, bikes or strollers.

At one point, BART pointed surveillance cameras at one of 12 gates at Embarcadero Station in San Francisco — and recorded 600 people sneaking into the system in a single day.

The fare-inspection program is a piece of a larger effort to fight the cheaters. BART has fortified entrances and exits, raising the height of barriers and closing or moving some swinging gates. Police have also conducted enforcement campaigns at targeted stations.

The BART board unanimously supported the new fare-inspection program in October when it passed an ordinance allowing for community service officers to become fare inspectors, checking proof-of-payment and issuing civil citations.

The board also fixed a loophole that made it impossible to punish juvenile gate-jumpers. Now, riders under 18 caught without proof of payment face a $60 fine or up to eight hours of community service. They can only be issued a civil citation under state law.

But one of the key pillars of the effort — the fare-inspection program — has yet to take hold. Without the ability to issue citations, officers can only hand ticketless riders a warning flyer or ask them to leave the system.

BART Police Chief Carlos Rojas said Tuesday that he expects fare scanners to be in the hands of inspectors this week and the ticket books and machines to follow in another week or two. For now, he said, “We’re still giving warnings.”

The fare-inspection program is expected to cost BART $50,000 for the new equipment and $741,000 a year for the community service officers.

Under the new ordinance, adults who can’t show they paid for their ride face a $120 fine or up to eight hours of community service. A third proof-of-payment violation can result in a criminal citation, punishable by up to a $250 fine and community service.

Critics have questioned whether the program will work, saying random enforcement won’t catch enough cheats and that an occasional $120 citation could be cheaper than ponying up $40 a week to ride the system legally. But agency officials hope the combination of their efforts will save the system money.

Rojas said persuading scofflaws to pay their fare share should also yield cleaner stations and safer trains.

“Our goal is to change behavior,” he said.

Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker