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....

Brussels’ STIB-MIVB considers anonymity for ticket inspectors after fare dodger attack
STIB ticket fines bear the names of the inspectors issuing them

Metro in Brussels © Sebastien Le Derout / Unsplash

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

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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...

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

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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

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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...

Germany considers decriminalising fare dodging in public transport
Currently fare evasion might cost you a fine of 60 euros or jail time up to one year, although prison sentences are rare

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Following a debate which we’ve written about earlier in January 2019, the state governments of Berlin and Thuringia have now submitted bills to downgrade the status of fare dodging in public transport from a criminal to a regulatory offence. Both governments argue that the current law of criminal prosecution does not offer a viable...

Spike in public transport fare evasion at Hong Kong’s MTR amid protests
Protesters are unhappy with MTR's decision to close some of its key stations and services in August 2019

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In the light of the recent anti-government protests in Hong Kong, more passengers using MTR‘s public transport services have been found to be jumping over access gates and traveling without valid tickets. In August 2019, MTR (Mass Transit Railway Corporation) shut several stations and services in protest-hit areas arguing that this would help reduce...

Extra measures to fight fare dodging on Rome’s ATAC public transport network in 2019
In the first 7 months of 2019, 36% more passengers were checked and 42% more fines were issued, compared to the same period in 2018

Rome's fare evasion crackdown

With four million trips taken daily on Rome’s ATAC network, the public transport operator is taking extra measures to ensure that its revenue is not affected by fare evasion. In the first 7 months of 2019, 2 million 200 thousand passengers were checked (36% more than the same period in 2018), and 134 thousand...

SNCF upgrades to full-height access gates to reduce fare evasion
Under the new plan, 140 new gates at 34 stations will be installed at a total cost of 55 million euros

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In July 2019 the Parisian station of Saint-Lazare has been the first one to receive the upgrades. According to the press release issued by SNCF, the cost raised to 14 million euros for this station, out of 55 million euros invested in total to replace 1.800 old access gates at 34 stations on its...