The guy next to me. Asian. With a ghetto haircut and reflective sunglasses. Around my age. T-shirt and jeans. And some camouflage backpack.

I saw him get on in Mountain View and I struggled my way back…deciding to take the seat next to him since unlike other passengers, he wasn’t spilling his stuff in the next seat.

The conductor entered the car once we departed from Palo Alto. I struggled a bit to get my ticket from under all my stuff. Then I heard a mumble next to me, “Oh no, that’s what I forgot.”

I closed my eyes, not wanting to be in the presence of the inevitable. I waved my ticket and the conductor nodded, confirming my pass.

“You didn’t validate it,” the conductor said to the Asian guy next to me.

He innocently replied, “Oh man. How much is the ticket?”

“The courts decide. Can I please have your ID?”

And fortunately it was peaceful although the guy did swear underneath his breath.

My question is…can you really ticket a person? Although I assume if you claim you don’t have identification, the conductor could basically kick you off the train.