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Defending the Honor System

Does using the honor system for public transportation actually work? Setting aside debates on the relative morality of different cultures, it would appear that it's not the best for catching people in the act, in Prague at least. The city uses the honor system for its network of subways, trains, and buses, but according to the Czech media, only .3 percent of those who "ride black" each year are caught.

There are several problems; inspectors--of which there are only 150 in number for the whole system--are paid based on the count of tickets they hand out. Many riders feel these folks pocket the fines instead of reporting them, and the shambolic look of the inspectors doesn't add much credibility in their defense. Still, it's too expensive to add turnstiles or gates to every station, so it looks like things will stay as they are for the time being. Our solution? Bring in the MTA--if they run the Prague metro like they run the L train, no one will ride black, or at all, before the year is out.

[Image via mrphillip/Flickr]

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