Anyone seeking the heart of MARTA's troubles only needed to be at the West End station yesterday.

You might have seen David Pirrone, 42, standing in handcuffs. His crime? Reselling one of his MARTA tokens to anothe rider who had trouble with the machines. (Not at a profit, mind you. For cost.)

MARTA's fare system is broken and is in the process of being replaced. Instead of understanding that and thanking Mr. Pirrone for helping his fellow man, a MARTA cop threw on the cuffs and gave him a citation on what could be a maximum $150 fine and community service.

Worse, MARTA offiicials defended the bust, saying "the law is the law."

Over the next year the token system will be entirely replaced with a new system of fare cards, like those used in New York City. This will already result in a major fare increase for regular riders, since the cards have no system for discounting fares. MARTA will also be able to use the cards to implement stealth fare increases, like doublting the cost of going to the Airport, charging per mile, or charging for transfers.

Given all this, and MARTA's poor public image, going out of your way to hassle a regular rider would not seem the best public relations move. Defending the action compounds it.

Mr. Pirrone deserves an apology, a free monthly Transcard, and a news conference. If he has to make a stand outside a courtroom in a few months, we'll be there to write down every angry word. And MARTA's pathetic response.