This very morning I fare-hopped. I was coming back from an event in the Cole neighborhood, so I walked to the 30th and Downing light rail station, saw a way to pay for parking, but not a ticket, felt cold, and decided to roll the dice. (The ticket kiosk is farther South on Downing, mea culpa.)
If this happened just two days later, my excuse would be even flimsier because I could've bought a local day pass on RTD's new smart phone app.
Starting Wednesday, RTD's new mobile tickets app will be available for download, allowing Android and Apple phone users to buy either a local day pass or a regional/airport day pass.
This solution would have cost me an extra $2.60 since all I needed was a single-way local fare, but less than the maximum fare evader fine of $106.50.
Also given that RTD relies on fares to fund its service and recently had to cut some R and W Line service, if I pay a few extra dollars in the future, it may assuage my guilty conscience.
So customers are supposed to download the app, purchase a pass with a credit card and activate the pass before boarding a bus or train. An activated pass is one with a timestamp that moves on the screen.
RTD spokesman Scott Reed says the timestamp moves to prevent taking screenshot of a ticket and sharing it with someone else or otherwise using tickets fraudulently.
At this time, app users have to use the pass on the day it's purchased and passes expire at 2:59 a.m. the next morning even if they aren't used. RTD plans to add a feature later that would allow people to buy a pass in advance for future dates.
Look for the app Wednesday by searching "RTD mobile tickets" wherever you download mobile apps. If an app is not your style, don't forget that RTD now has a smart card offering too.
