Fare evasion remains a major focus for mass transit operators, as it causes losses worth billions of euros each year. In Switzerland, transit operators have set up a joint national register for fare evaders. The digital register is active since April 2019 and keeps a record for offences on buses, trams and trains. Swiss...
National red list for fare dodgers in Switzerland
School buses fare evasion rates over 90% in Queensland, Australia
1,53 million fare dodging incidents were reported in the financial year 2018-19
School bus drivers in Queensland, Australia are facing an increase in fare dodging incidents from teenagers that do not pay for their rides. In the financial year 2018-19, bus drivers counted 1.53 million fare evasions (double than in the previous year) causing A$25 million in lost revenue for the local transport operator Sursfide Buslines....
Pink buses offer safer rides for women in Tijuana, Mexico
A recent survey on females using public buses in Tijuana showed that 75% of them have been victims of some form of harassment or assault
A new pilot program in Tijuana, Mexico offers pink-painted buses on the Línea Rosa (Pink Line), which can only be ridden by women, children younger than 12, disabled persons, and seniors. The bus service is offered by the public transport operator Verde y Crema in collaboration with INMUJER (Women’s Municipal Institute in Tijuana). The...
Brussels’ STIB-MIVB considers anonymity for ticket inspectors after fare dodger attack
STIB ticket fines bear the names of the inspectors issuing them
A recent attack on a ticket inspector in Brussels has prompted the city’s public transport operator STIB-MIVB to reconsider the disclosure of their names. An inspector who issued a fine to a man who crossed the turnstiles without paying was assaulted by the fraudster at his home a few days later. STIB representatives said...
Professional fare dodgers advocating free public transport in Stockholm, Sweden
Planka.nu has developed a financial model which pays for the fines of its members since its inception in 2001
Through its radical approach, the Swedish campaign group Planka.nu (roughly translated as ‘free ride now’) puts pressure on the local authorities to create a toll-free public transport system. The group’s members, which count around 500 persons, benefit from professional advice on tactics they can use to avoid paying ticket fares or being caught by...
Transport for London (TfL) fares to remain unchanged for fourth consecutive year
However prices for daily and weekly fare caps, plus weekly, monthly and annual travel cards will rise by 2.8% in 2020
London’s mayor Mr. Sadiq Khan announced on November 16, 2019 that prices for trips on bus, tram, train and subway will remain the same until the end of 2020. However there will be a 2.8% rise for daily fare caps and for weekly, monthly and annual travel cards. According to a mayor’s office spokesperson,...
Sweden’s Vasttrafik gives out free passes to encourage use of public transport
The passes, valid for a two-week period on buses, ferries, and trams are handed out in the framework of a large outreach campaign
In Gothenburg, Sweden, the regional transport agency Vasttrafik recently gave away 30.000 free passes to encourage residents to make more use of public transport. The passes were handed out part of a large outreach campaign, one of the many the company has commissioned in the last years to raise awareness about the advantages of...
Helsinki’s HSL to cut long-distance ticket prices and increase penalty fares
Residents living in peripheral areas will benefit mostly from the price cuts which will come into effect starting 2020
As stated by HSL’s Executive Director Suvi Rihtniemi in a recent press release, the price cuts come as a measure aimed at helping to cut carbon emissions, : “This is the first time in our 10-year history we make such significant fare cuts. We will lower the fares for the longest journeys, as switching...
TTC loses millions to fare evasion and malfunctioning equipment
An average of $61 million were lost to fare evasion and $3.4 million to faulty equipment in 2018
These numbers were made public in a recent report released by the Auditor General of Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), which outlined the impact of faulty tech and numerous fare dodgers on the public network’s financial sustainability. The report adds that the actual revenue loss is likely higher than the numbers estimated. Fare dodgers hop...
Subway fare hikes in Santiago, Chile turn deadly
A small group of students started the protests which quickly grew in amplitude leading to several deaths
A recent announcement of a price increase by 4% (to 830 pesos, or over $1) for tickets on Santiago Metro‘s network has sparked a series of violent demonstrations at subway premises and in other locations in Chile’s capital. Protesters smashed glass, damaged gate turnstiles, burned busses and subway cars, and attacked police vehicles during the...