Hollywood News Now: Metro begins Tap-to-Exit pilot program at North Hollywood train station

NORTH HOLLYWOOD — In an effort to boost safety on train lines, Metro has formally rolled out a pilot program in North Hollywood that requires rail passengers to tap their fare card to exit the subway station.

The move is aimed at providing more assurance that people who are riding the trains paid the fare to board the line. Sheriff Robert Luna said in recent comments that the vast majority of people arrested or detained in connection with wrongdoing on the transit system had not paid the proper fare to board.

Passengers are required to use a TAP card to pay the fare before boarding a bus or train. Under the pilot program that began Tuesday, passengers exiting the Metro B (Red) Line train at the North Hollywood station are required to again tap the fare card to leave the station.

Metro officials described it as an effort to boost compliance with fare requirements, noting that people who do not pay the fare are subject to citation or removal from the system.

According to Metro, similar tap-to-exit programs are already in place on other systems, including Bay Area Rapid Transit, Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority and Metropolitan Atlanta Regional Transit Authority.

Tapping the TAP card upon exiting the station will confirm that valid fare was paid for the trip. People who did not pay the fare when they boarded the train will be charged when they tap to exit, but those people could still be cited or removed from the transit system for failing to pay up front.

"We have also increased the visible presence of our teams at North Hollywood Station," according to Metro. "These include our Blue Shirts, who provide assistance with our Ticket Vending Machines, our Metro Ambassadors, who help riders navigate the system, connect you to resources and report issues they see, as well as our law enforcement partners, and our Transit Security Officers who enforce the Code of Conduct.

"… We are listening to your feedback, and this is one of many steps that we are taking to improve safety and cleanliness on your system."

Safety on the transit system has been a major topic in recent weeks, with a series of attacks on bus drivers and violence involving passengers, including Monday's incident in which a woman allegedly attacked and robbed a Metro bus driver on Spring Street just south of Temple Street, the stabbing of a man on a Metro bus in the Lynwood area, the recent shooting death of a bus passenger in Commerce and stabbing death of a woman on a B Line train between the North Hollywood and Studio City stations.

The Metro Board of Directors last week approved a pair of motions aimed at boosting safety on the transit system in response to a string of recent attacks involving drivers and passengers. The motions approved by the Metro board include a call for immediate deployment of more law enforcement on the transit system and at stations, along with the exploration of possible technological improvements that can be made on buses, trains and stations.

The board had previously voted to expedite the acquisition and installation of driver-protection barriers on about 2,000 buses.