The RT service cuts announced last night will hurt pretty bad. On a personal note, this rider loses 3 of his regular routes including the beloved (for some reason) 50E. Apparently the cuts were not as bad as expected, though since money doesn’t grow on trees, one doesn’t relish the sound of the other shoe dropping someday on the “last-minute agreement between the governor and Democratic legislators” that freed up an additional $12 million for RT.
The cuts also kept RT from having to make deeper cuts to security at stations and on trains, though with the cuts to bus routes there is presumably less need for security. There are not as many redundant lines in RT’s system, so the reality is some people are just not going to be able to ride. I’d rather have seen across the board cuts including cuts to security since that makes more sense. Security is basically a non-presence, in my experience. So are ticket-checkers. How’s that for a revenue generator? I haven’t been asked for my pass on a light rail train in months.
The Sac Rag 
I’d like to know how much revenue the ticket checkers generate too — it seems most of the people I see getting tickets (high school kids) aren’t exactly likely to pay. But, on a recent day I had to take two round-trips on light rail and I was asked for my ticket three times.
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I understand the need for the cuts but this is really bad. A few years back, a big factor in my decision to move to midtown was to be able to walk to work/mall/safeway and never worry about bus schedules again.
If it was that bad then, I can’t imagine how much worse using RT to get around will be now.
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Most of my experience with RT is on the Gold Line, the train that runs from downtown to Folsom.
The security guards on these trains are a complete joke and probably unnecessary.
The only thing I have ever seen them do is keep the trains clear of bicycles. REPEATEDLY, I have seen people with bikes get refused admission onto an empty train because RT rules forbid more than four bikes per car. I have seen security guards screaming at children to enforce this rule.
As far as “violence” or crime on trains, I have seen that, too. It generally consists of drunks bullying and yelling at someone, usually their female companion. Every single time, the people riding on the cars help out other riders. The “bullies” are generally kicked off, cops are called. I have seen people vandalizing or littering trains in front of the security guards who shrug their shoulders and say “If I didn’t see it, I can’t do anything about it.”
And let’s have a small dose of reality here. If someone REALLY wants to commit a crime against a train/bus rider, they are going to follow them off of the vehicle and take care of business in private.
We do not need to prioritize security guards over buses. Cart before the horse, people.
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What Stickie said.
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What Stickie said, indeed. RT contracts with Wackenhut in addition to contracting with SPD and Sac Sheriffs. It sure seems like the Wackenhut security contract (one-third of the security budget) could be cut back without hurting safety. They are cheaper for a reason.
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