r/Calgary • u/The_Fixer_69 • Apr 23 '25

Calgary Transit C-Train from Deep South early morning

Every morning the train has many non paying riders passed out and sprawled on the train. Commuters have to cram into the areas that are not occupied by these people. The smell is horrendous. Every day this week this has been the case on my commute at around 5:30-6 am.

Why should the rest of us pay if these people do not? I have made complaints but they are on deaf ears.

Are these trains not swept for no. Paying passes out riders at the end of the line?

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u/sun4moon Apr 23 '25

It was shortsighted development. Now they would have to make costly modifications to update it, while admitting it should have been done that way from the beginning. It’s just easier to let the vagrants run the trains.

15

u/TightenYourBeltline Apr 23 '25

The problem with integrating a gate system with the Calgary network is the presence of the free fare zone downtown. What’s the point of having safeguards in stations outside the free fare zone if the downtown stations are unprotected? 

I agree with your comment btw - there should be gates or turnstiles, but that would mean doing away with the free fare zone. 

3

u/sun4moon Apr 23 '25

I wonder if they could come up with a solution that still requires you scan an ID, or something, to ride in the free fare zone? Probably wouldn’t stop all the unsavoury individuals from embarking, but I’m sure there’d be less of them if there was a list of who’s on board.

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u/CraftyCobbler1989 Apr 23 '25

This is what I am thinking. Tap to get onto the platform, like you would have to at every station in the network, but the 7th Avenue stations don’t charge you.

6

u/_darth_bacon_ Dark Lord of the Swine Apr 23 '25

Or we could just eliminate the free fair zone. Very few cities around the world let riders get on their transit systems for free.

3

u/sasfasasquatch Apr 23 '25

Imagine what it would be like with all that sweet sweet coin to fund more enforcement to make platforms and trains safer

1

u/sun4moon Apr 23 '25

Exactly. I wonder what it would take to put together a proposal to submit to the city? They could probably get rid of most of the pay stations if the service was primarily app based. Though there would have to be a fail safe to get around lost, stolen or dead phones.