JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The head of Jacksonville Transportation Authority's Mass Transit program backed out of going with Channel 4's Jim Piggott to look at the problems with the Skyway after saying a lot of the issues were fixed.
Some of the turnstile gates have been fixed, but a gate for disabled passengers is still wide open for anyone to pass through at one Skyway station.
JTA workers had been using the public address system to call out passengers who didn't pay the 50-cent fare, but Piggott said he didn't hear anyone over the loudspeakers on Tuesday.
Passenger Zee Zimmerman wrote to Channel 4 in an email saying, "I told many employees at the central location about turnstiles not working at all and that no one is paying. I pay every time, but I am tired of having to jump the turns."
Skyway maintenance workers were seen leaving the central station Tuesday, but some of the problems were still not fixed. One turnstile was jammed even after paying 50 cents.
At that station, there were still people jumping the turnstiles and not bothering to pay the fares. Others who tried to pay but could not get it to work were angry.
"Well, I love the Skyway. We do. It gets us where we want to go," passenger Donna Gock said. "A lot of people jump it. We pay."
"I would say about 75-80 percent of the time it don't work," passenger Ron Russel said.
It was just last week when Clinton Forbes, the head of JTA's Mass Transit who oversees the Skyway, said the problems were being fixed.
"First of all, let me thank you for your efforts," Forbes told Piggott.
He said he would go with Piggott to show him the problems JTA faces, but his public relations staff sent a statement saying, "We will not be doing an on-camera Skyway tour at this time, but we will provide you a detailed status update on repairs this Friday."
JTA officials refused to say why they changed their minds. But maybe they're listening to one passenger who says he does not have to pay.
"No, it's free because I am the owner. I own it," the man told Piggott.