Fare Dodgers Archives

July 7, 2023 AI Video Analytics, Fare Evasion, Public Transport, Safety & Security, Ticketing

MTA’s Pioneering Methodologies to Measure Fare Evasion
The synthesis of traditional surveys and state-of-the-art technology creates a robust blueprint for fare evasion measurement

Mearuring fare evasion in Public Transport

Midjourney image promped by AWAAIT

On May 17, the Blue-Ribbon Panel for Fare Evasion of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) issued a report detailing the problem and outlining its two methods for measuring it. According to the most recent data, a concerning pattern has emerged: fare evasion rates increased significantly from pre-pandemic levels of 3 to 6% to 13.5%...

June 8, 2020 Public Transport, Ticketing

Fare inspections to resume on Toronto’s public transport
After a two-month pause during the pandemic, fare inspectors will gradually resume their normal duties this summer

TTC – short for Toronto Transit Authority, announced that fare inspectors will gradually resume activity on its premises and vehicles. During June, they will board vehicles once again to ‘remind customers to pay their fare’. They will be placed at key surface transfer points to ‘observe and educate customers and to make sure they...

March 11, 2020 Fare Evasion, Public Transport

Fare evasion rate in Santiago, Chile at 32,6% at the end of 2019
The figure is 6,1% higher than the previous quarter, but does not surpass the record 34.6% rate reached in 2016

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New figures released by the Government of Chile reveal fare evasion rates on Santiago’s public transport network are at 32.6% for the last quarter of 2019. The figure is 6.1% higher than the previous quarter, and corresponds to the period when violent protests in October 2019 led to massive acts of evasion and destruction...

February 28, 2020 Fare Evasion, Public Transport

Athens public transport furthers efforts to improve service and boost revenue
Ticket revenue is rising and system upgrades are being rolled out, although fare evasion remains high

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OASA (Athens Urban Transport Organization), the body providing most public transport services in Athens, Greece released new data revealing revenue numbers and service upgrades. Bus and trolley ticket revenues totalled €94 million in 2018. This is more than in 2017 (€82 million ) and 2016 (€87 million), though less than in 2015 (€97 million)...

February 20, 2020 Fare Evasion, Public Transport

1 in 33 passengers dodging fares on Berlin’s S-Bahn and BVG
Ticket inspectors identified 623,000 passengers travelling without a valid ticket in 2019

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According to a recent report commissioned by the German State Senate, fraud rate on the S-Bahn and on Berlin’s BVG was at an average 3% in 2019. In 2018, fraud was at 2.6% for S-Bahn, and at 3.1% in 2018 and 5% in 2017 for BVG. 1.13 billion trips were made on BVG’s subways,...

February 8, 2020 Fare Evasion

National red list for fare dodgers in Switzerland
277.000 persons were registered in the national database by August 2019

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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...

January 29, 2020 Fare Evasion

School buses fare evasion rates over 90% in Queensland, Australia
1,53 million fare dodging incidents were reported in the financial year 2018-19

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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....

December 18, 2019 Fare Evasion, Safety & Security

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...

December 3, 2019 Public Transport

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

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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...

November 4, 2019 Fare Evasion

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...