This is a shout out to the bad ass who I was on the 5:53pm with tonight who, after getting a tongue wagging about not signing his pass to "validate" it, he whipped out a pen and wrote Spiderman Jones.My own pass says Batman on it, complete with a photo of a bat.
Okay... it really doesn't.
How does signing an adult monthly pass, in front of a constable checking tickets, one that requires no picture ID, become more official with a signature that means absolutely nothing to the person looking at it?
Does GO have a handwriting course they provide for their constables that gives them the ability to scan your signature with their eyeballs, cross reference it with some national federal database and determine that yep, that's your signature.
The only merit I can see to signing your pass is that should you ever lose it, and find yourself down at the desk at the Lost and Found at Union, you have something that will help you claim it. Most likely, your signature will match other signed pieces of picture ID you have, provided you haven't signed your pass Spiderman Jones.
Or Batman.
Incredibly, you can buy a Spiderman driver's licence (that's just like "THE REAL THING"!) on-line. Check it out.
There is a proper reason ... If you claim the federal transit pass credit (worth doing - you get back 15% of the amount you spent on passes), then the tickets must be "yours" in some way, and your signature makes it so.
ReplyDeleteI sign ALL OF MINE
ReplyDeleteBut how does the fed gov, rev can know those 10-rides are yours?
good point.. the 10 rides are more expensive anyway, so should be more valuable come tax time.
ReplyDeletein the last 4 years, rev can has never asked me to prove that I have used transit, even after claiming all of it... i imagine they have better things to do then read through my passes.
i bet the signature was some 1980's idea that go transit keeps around to feel comfortable (change freaks lame companies out)
and the transit cops are just power hungry , so this is a perfect oportunity to feel powerful by ragging on someone for not signing it..
You can't use ten rides for the federal tax credit. (It has to be something which allows you to make 30 rides or more in a one month period).
ReplyDeleteI got asked for proof last year.
thats terrible.. I dislike canada more and more
ReplyDeleteOddly, I feel the same way about you.
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ReplyDeleteYou would think that this rule would work for the 10 ride passes. Just because it's not one card, shouldn't make a difference as long as you use at least 32 trips within 31 days.
ReplyDeleteFrom: http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/whtsnw/tms/trnst-eng.html
Cost-per-trip electronic payment cards if:
* the card is used for at least 32 one-way trips during an uninterrupted period not more than 31 days; and
* if the card is issued by a public transit authority that records and provides a receipt for the cost and usage of the card.
Seperate issue: that can't be spiderman's REAL driver's licence. I know for a fact taht new York dirver's licence look nothign liek that. It's a con!
ReplyDelete