Lawmakers hop on board bill allowing MARTA token resale

<p>The Georgia House decided Wednesday that bus and subway passengers should be allowed to resell their tokens.</p><p>The bill is a reaction to last year's arrest of Donald Pirone, who could face a year in jail after an officer spotted him in November selling a MARTA token inside the West End subway station.</p><p>The arresting officer followed a 1992 state law that prohibits passengers from selling tokens, and handcuffed Pirone.</p><p>Pirone argued he was just trying to help a fellow passenger having trouble with a token machine. He said he did not ask for the money but that the passenger gave him $1.75 _ the price of a token _ out of generosity.</p><p>The proposal eliminates the criminal penalty for riders who sell or exchange tokens or tickets used to access the state's buses, subways and trains.</p><p>The bill, which passed unanimously, now moves to the Senate.</p>

http://accesswdun.com/article/2006/2/130382