This article showed in my phone’s news feed last night:
According to KIRO 7 News, Fare Ambassadors will soon begin checking fares on Link Light Rail trains.
The article goes on to describe how this trial program will work: Starting on June 3rd, Fare Ambassadors will work in teams, starting from each end of a train car, checking for proof of fare payment from every passenger. It explains that this will be done in order to provide funding for Sound Transit.
I couldn’t find any way to comment directly on the article, to let them know how wrong the story is.
I’ve been writing blog posts about my encounters with Fare Ambassadors, and before them, Fare Inspectors, since the beginning of Link Light Rail. (All of the encounters have been positive, by the way.)
I’ve written about how fare inspections worked during the pandemic.
I’ve written about the switch from Fare Inspectors to Fare Ambassadors a few years ago.
I think what the KIRO 7 reporter was referring to was this article which appeared on the Sound Transit website the day before yesterday:
Sound Transit’s article informs us that this summer, Fare Ambassadors will begin checking fares on station platforms. (I’m not sure if this will be in addition to checking fares on the trains, or a replacement of it.)
So what happened with the KIRO 7 article? Was it the victim of unclear writing or poor editing? I don’t think so. Although it does use the words “within areas,” it clearly states that fare inspections will begin in June, and it describes the process of checking inside train cars. There’s no mention of station platforms.
I think it’s noteworthy that the KIRO 7 article uses the photograph from the Sound Transit article. So the KIRO 7 reporter at least saw Sound Transit’s article (or someone at KIRO 7 did), even if they didn’t read it.
Sometimes I wonder if our local corporate news sources actually operate within Seattle.
By the way, I think that checking fares on the platforms is a good idea. For one thing, a fare dodger who spots a Fare Ambassador will have the option to leave the area and avoid a ticket.
Feeding Squirrels On My Way To Work 