HOWEVER...I was on Muni this AM, the 22 Fillmore to be exact and at Church and Market two Municipal Fare Inspectors boarded the bus and asked everyone to produce their proof of payment. One girl in the back row was unable to do so and they actually took her ID and wrote her up at her stop on Haight St. Then it happened again at Geary St. Two more Inspectors, show your proof etc.
OK, I get that if you're on the bus and you didn't pay, you're technically breaking the law...but COME ON! Things happen. And my personal feeling as an acolyte of both Saul Alinsky and Abbie Hoffman is that once you're past the driver, you should be home free.
Also, just as a practical matter, what if you get on the bus, pay your fare in cash and choose not to take a transfer, which is the only form of proof if you're not using a Clipper Card or Fast Pass? How the hell can you prove you paid?
I've never seen this before and I was genuine shocked and appalled, although no one else seemed to think there was anything unusual about this. Perhaps it just shows how rarely I'm aboard a muni bus, but man it pissed me off.
Excuse while I crank up "Fight The Power" and genuflect to my poster of Che Guevara.