North County Transit District's Matthew Tucker ought to be wary of his place on Santa's list.

Oh, the executive director, who has been on the job less than a year, seems like a nice guy and a good administrator, and we have no quarrel with what we've seen of his plans to privatize the beleaguered public transportation agency.

But he could use a little more public relations savvy.

The administrator bought 160 tickets out of 1,000 available for the prized Santa Train rides on Monday, the first day tickets went on sale. The problem for Tucker and board member Dave Roberts, who got 10 tickets, is that the district sets a limit of six tickets per customer.

Now, Tucker gets appropriate credit for paying for the tickets, which cost $4 apiece, out of his own pocket; and he gets a hat tip for giving a big chunk of the tickets to poor kids and needy families (the train is also a fundraiser for a good cause).

But 90 of the passes will go to his friends, family and neighbors. That's an advantage not available to the general public, and that's just not fair.

Once the story got out, Tucker was a stand-up guy about the flap, saying he should have known the rules, but the tickets are still going to his neighbors.

Lest our criticism be misunderstood, this doesn't change our view that NCTD's anticipated decision on Thursday to privatize bus drivers is necessary given the district's circumstances. The major changes under way at NCTD are reflections of the market for labor (in this case, bus drivers), shrinking public sector budgets and the fact that public transportation ridership is heavily subsidized.

Those who say, "See, these administrators get special privileges while workers get thrown out on their ears," are simply blind to the economic realities and the prospect that the district faces $20 million-a-year deficits if major changes aren't made.

One suggestion, though, about the coveted Santa train rides ---- because demand for the trains is so high, why not add a few runs and make all the kids happy?