The standard conservative talking point is that all MUNI's problems are due to fare evaders, and therefore the solution is to hire more fare inspectors. The union and management are united against the riders in this regard, as it's a great distraction from the real problems with both groups. They have backed this assertion up using flawed studies (such as one done by the Examiner a couple years ago)--an invariable feature of these "studies" is that they count all people getting on the back door as fare evaders, without checking to see how many had actually paid. In reality, a large percentage of MUNI riders (about half?) have fast passes. An unbiased survey would probably show that fare evasion is relatively insignificant and mostly limited to youth who would pay a reduced fare other people who wouldn't take MUNI if they had to pay. The people who have fast passes or transfers are doing all MUNI riders a favor by speeding up boarding. For exactly this reason, the SFGP's transportation platform encourages the expansion of "proof of payment" to all MUNI lines. In this case, fare inspectors (or police, if they ever rode MUNI) could ask people boarding through the back to show their pass or transfer. The drivers shouldn't be involved in fare inspection; their job is hard enough as it is. The TWG meets the 4th Tuesday of the month from 7-9 pm. Our next meeting is on Nov 28th. By the way, as another Atlantan expat, I completely agree with what Kathy had to say about Ford. JMC -- John-Marc Chandonia (jmc@sfgreens.org) http://sfgreens.org/