ティージェーグレェ on Nostr: Hah! I can't claim to have ever used it myself. However, I have certainly heard other ...

Hah! I can't claim to have ever used it myself. However, I have certainly heard other passengers ask for courtesy rides and most drivers seem to oblige. On rare occasion I hear an operator decline, but it's usually related to something like, "this bus is full, please wait for the next one" which they will do even to passengers in wheelchairs.

I did once observe an interaction where a passenger boarded, the operator raised their voice about, "payment" and the person who had been walking to the back of the bus then said something such as, "can I get a courtesy ride?" To which the operator obliged, but said something to the effect of: "you're supposed to ask for that when you are boarding, not after the fact."

But, for the most part, it just seems as if it is a regular occurrence. On AC Transit at least? On Saturday I was also making use of Golden Gate Transit to a lesser extent (they have a system where you tag off with clipper as well, not entirely dissimilar to the ferries or CalTrain I guess) which is a little different than BART or MUNI or AC Transit, but even then I observed at least one passenger who boarded while the bus operator essentially waved them through rather than futz with cash bills.

That sort of thing, seems to be a prevailing trend? Generally that the drivers "fail open" rather than deny transit. Berlin's rail system, also seemed honor based for the most part, though again, for the most part, I observed folks paying for rides.

Buses operated by MUNI in SF, I probably observe the most "fare evasion" of any local transit provider, but a lot of the buses are double length articulated and there are three entrance/exits and if you don't board where the driver is (and most don't, unless they're in a wheelchair or need special accommodations) then presumably the temptation to not tag on is pretty high? I'm the sort, who things that mass transit should be handled by taxes rather than individuals in the moment, but I still pay my fares (and tag on/off/etc.) because I hope that the metrics of valid passengers helps them in whatever statistical justifications they may have to make towards justifying their presence.

Also, Clipper has the advantage that it can be "reloaded" with cash, so it makes it a relatively pseudo anonymous fare system. A lot of spyware "telemetry" in software? Doesn't offer that kind of thing going for it.