Measures that would fundamentally change the way fare evasion is penalized on Metro Transit trains and buses have again failed to gain traction at the Legislature.

The Metropolitan Council, which operates Metro Transit, has pushed for a change in state guidelines that would punish fare evaders with an administrative citation, much like a parking ticket, rather than charging them with a misdemeanor.

If someone now is cited for not paying their way on public transportation, they could face a $180 fine. But only 49 people were fined for failing to pay transit fares in 2018-19 because prosecutors were busy pursuing more serious crimes, according to officials.

While the measure was supported by DFL Party members in the House and Senate, many Republicans opposed downgrading the punishment for fare evasion.

A second measure — initially included but later dropped in the House version of the transportation bill — proposed creation of an unarmed phalanx of transit safety officials who would check fares on the Green and Blue light-rail lines and some buses, and connect available services with homeless passengers and those with mental health or substance abuse issues.

The idea first surfaced after serious crime surged on light-rail trains and stations in late 2019. Met Council officials had said they were ready to hire more than 50 safety agents by 2023.

Light rail users board the train at the LRT Lake Street Station..] Jerry Holt •Jerry.Holt@startribune.comThe Lake Street station on the Blue Line and Central Station in St. Paul on the Green Line have the highest-rate of crime. Metro Transit and others at the legislature are pitching a transit ambassador program to combat crime and the perception of crime on light rail Tuesday February 25, 2020 in Minneapolis, MN.

Earlier this year, there appeared to be a pathway to avoid gridlock when Sen. Scott Newman, a Hutchinson Republican who chairs the Senate Transportation Finance and Policy Committee, said he had changed his mind on both measures.

"I do think there's room to negotiate and come to an agreement on the transit safety issue," he said last spring.

But both ideas ultimately failed to survive the last-minute budget scramble at the State Capitol. Met Council Chairman Charlie Zelle said in a statement that he was "disappointed."

The council has long pursued the administrative citation language "because it is an opportunity to develop a fairer and more effective approach to fare inspection," Zelle said. "Without administrative citations authority, we remain at status quo."

It's still up to Metro Transit police officers to cite passengers for fare evasion, usually on light-rail trains and on buses where passengers pay before they board.

Janet Moore • 612-673-7752

@ByJanetMoore