jianantonic | (no subject)

I'm really grumpy about this, and a little worried that typing it all out will only make me grumpier, but I've got four hours to kill here in SLC, so, here goes...

I live next to the Beaverton Transit Center. It's the west terminus of the red MAX line. The airport is the east terminus. So the plan was to ride the train to the airport. Just like always. A note about Portland light rail: it's all on an honor system. You can buy tickets at electronic kiosks at every stop, but they're hardly ever checked. I ride the MAX at least six times a week, and I've had my ticket checked one time in the three years I've been in Portland. Once. So.

Anyway, I went to the machine, and it wouldn't read my card. So I tried again. And again. I tried a different card. Still no luck. A Trimet employee came up and asked if I needed help. I told her I know how to work the machine, I just couldn't get it to read my card. She watched me try three different cards, and none worked. So she told me to just get on the train.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, it's fine. If someone stops you, just tell them you tried your card a bunch of times at the Beaverton kiosk. You definitely tried. What can you do?"
Fair enough. I got on the train. Because it's the terminus, the train sits for a few minutes before departing again. While it was sitting, I saw a transit cop coming through checking tickets. I didn't sweat it. I had tried. The lady told me to get on. When the cop got to me, I told him my story. He yelled at me to get off the train and show him how the machine wouldn't work. When I got off, the train left.
"I have a flight..."
"You'll get the next one. Swipe your card."
I started the machine, and before I could even get started, he barked "ALL zones" (it's 20 cents more from the 'burbs where I live).
"I know..."
And of course, the machine read my card on the first try. So he wrote me a ticket.
I told him the whole story about the transit employee who told me to get on the train. He didn't believe me. He kept barking that there were four machines and I should've tried another one. Okay, fine, but the other three are on different platforms, and I had a bunch of luggage, and the train was already here. AND THE TRIMET OFFICIAL TOLD ME TO GET ON THE TRAIN. He didn't believe me. He was SO mean. Even though I could SEE other employees walking around the station, he insisted that he was the only one there and no one would've told me to get on the train.

I offered to pull up my credit card statement online to show him all the Trimet charges, because I buy MAX tickets almost every day. He told me to "try your story in court." UGH. He was SO FUCKING MEAN. I mean, I get that people scam the honor system all the time, and I get that it hurt my case that my card scanned on the very first try after ten unsuccessful swipes when the cop dude wasn't looking. But GOD DAMMIT, I made eye contact with him as soon as he got on the train. We were just sitting there at the stop as he made his way through the train. If I'd thought I'd done something wrong, I would have fucking gotten off the train! I had plenty of time and I knew he was there. That ticket is $175. UGH.

When I got to the airport, I ran to the other train (the one I'd been kicked off of) to talk to the operator. I was hoping she was the woman who'd advised me to get on the train without paying, but she wasn't. Still, as I told her my story, my eyes welled up with tears and she became very sympathetic. She knew I was telling the truth. She took down my name and number and asked me a bunch of questions about the woman I'd talked to at the station. I described her as well as I could -- short, average size, dirty blond hair, shoulder length, maybe, in a pony tail...maybe glasses? She said she didn't know off the top of her head who it was, but she'd try to find out. That was really sweet of her. I really hope she can track down that woman. Seriously, I would've kept trying, or gone to another machine, but if an official employee tells you it's okay to get on the train without paying, why would you go out of your way to pay? She said get on, she assured me it was no problem...and then she was nowhere to be found as I was getting served my very expensive ticket.

Fuck that guy. Seriously, fuck him with a razor blade. I understand that my story sounded like bullshit, but he was SO FUCKING MEAN. And I wasn't lying. And I hate him.