Got my first Newark traffic ticket

Argh, how frustrating. I got my first (and last, I hope) Newark ticket. I wasn’t driving either. In Newark, there is a light rail service that takes you around various parts of Newark. Generally, I would walk in the mornings, but I’ve found it convenient if I’m running late to catch an evening express train. I used it during my first week when I had a weekly pass. If you have a NJ Transit weekly or monthly pass, it is cross-honored. I was slightly unclear about daily passes however, which was ultimately my undoing today.

I was running late to catch my train this evening, and I was confused by the ticket validation stamp machine. I had asked a Newark police officer patrolling the station yesterday if my daily pass was valid or not, and said yes. Tonight, I wasn’t quite sure, so I had my NJ Transit daily one-way ticket stamped. While I debated getting an additional light rail ticket to be safe, the next train arrived.

You guessed it — I jumped on. Waiting at Penn Station were two officers checking everyone for valid tickets. I stopped and asked one if I was okay with the stamped daily ticket, and he said no. Then we argues about the purpose of the ticket validation machine, the police officer who said it was acceptable fare, etc. In the end, e gave me a summons for failure to pay fare, which comes with a $74 fine.

Ouch.

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