Chile’s Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications and Ministry of Economy, together with bus operator STU, launched a pilot program on 21 September 2026, deploying 90 anti-evasion agents on Santiago’s Red Movilidad buses. The initiative aims to encourage fare payment, reduce revenue losses and assess whether the model could be expanded to other routes.
The pilot focuses on route 107, which crosses 13 municipalities and carries approximately 13,000 passengers daily. Fare evasion on this route stands at 62.7%, significantly above the Red Movilidad network average of 37.4% recorded in the first half of 2026.
Agents work in teams of three, monitoring front and rear bus entrances, directing passengers towards the front door and encouraging fare validation. They will cover 21 daily bus runs on weekdays, primarily during morning (06:30–08:30) and evening (17:00–20:00) peak hours. Their role will be strictly preventive, with no authority to issue fines or impose sanctions. In the event of incidents, onboard camera footage may be used to review what happened.
The 30-day pilot, backed by an investment of approximately CLP 100 million (€91,000), aims to reduce fare evasion on route 107 to between 30% and 40%. If successful, authorities may extend the approach to other high-evasion routes.
The initiative also has an employment objective. Economy Minister Daniel Mas indicated that a larger rollout could potentially create up to 3,000 jobs.
The pilot complements existing measures across Red Movilidad, including access turnstiles, paid boarding zones, additional rear-door validators installed on approximately 600 buses, new payment options and fare enforcement operations carried out with Carabineros.
Although the new agents cannot issue penalties, passengers caught travelling without paying remain subject to fines of 1 to 1.5 UTM, equivalent to approximately CLP 71,000–107,000 (€65–€98).
The original article is available here (in Spanish): https://www.economia.gob.cl/2026/09/21/plan-antievasion-ministerios-de-economia-y-transportes-lanzan-piloto-con-90-agentes-para-controlar-y-reforzar-el-pago-del-pasaje-en-buses-red.htm
