In Hong Kong, A citywide campaign against fare evasion has been started by the MTR Corporation in coordination with the Transport Department. Between June 25 and July 3, they reported 671 occurrences of ticket evasion, 89 of which involved the abuse of the government’s $2 travel discount program.
To reduce fare evasion, the MTR has increased the penalty fees. Passengers on the heavy rail are now penalized by 1,000 Yuan (124 EUR), while those on the light rail and MTR buses are fined 370 Yuan (46 EUR).
The MTR Corporation has also increased the frequency of ticket inspections and stepped up efforts to educate the public on the importance of paying the correct fare.
In addition to the MTR’s efforts, the Transport Department initiated a two-month campaign on June 26 to decrease fare evasion on other public transportation, working with public transportation providers and contracted security. By July 5, they had examined numerous bus and ferry routes and had located more than 270 customers who might have been abusing the government discount.
