Passengers who pry open the doors on stalled SkyTrain cars could be forced to pry open their wallets too, Transit Police warn.
Officers have the power to dish out $115 tickets for opening doors and separate $115 tickets for jumping onto the guideways, spokeswoman Anne Drennan said Tuesday.
“We must advise anyone who would consider taking this kind of action on short, small, isolated delays, that there are enforcement actions that can be taken,” Drennan said in a release.
“This puts the offender and other passengers at risk as well as causing unnecessary and frustrating delays to others using the system.”
During both of last month’s lengthy service shutdowns on the Expo and Millennium lines, several people forced SkyTrain doors open and tried to walk to the nearest station.
Since many had been trapped on trains for hours, Transit Police opted not to ticket the rule-breakers, but Drennan said the grace period is over.
Five more people have pried SkyTrain doors open since those highly-publicized incidents, all during minor delays, Drennan said. In some cases, the trains were only stalled for about 30 seconds.
Apart from $230 in fines, passengers who damage SkyTrain doors while exiting or create a threat to public safety could also face a criminal charge of public mischief, Transit Police warned.
Anyone who sees a SkyTrain rider trying to force car doors open is asked to report the passenger to Transit Police by texting 87-77-77 or through the OnDuty smart phone app.
