Île-de-France Loses €700 Million Annually to Fare Evasion: New Measures Target 50% Reduction
Public Transport Cracks Down: Continuous Controls and 500 Agents to Combat Fare Evaders

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Fare evasion in Paris and its suburbs costs the Île-de-France public transport network an estimated 700 million euros annually. To tackle this significant loss, Valérie Pécresse, President of Île-de-France Mobilités (IDFM), announced the launch of “continuous control” operations starting Monday, February 17, targeting bus, tramway, metro, and RER lines most affected by fare evasion....

Auckland’s Fare Evasion Problem: A Growing Challenge for Public Transport
Fare Evasion on Key Auckland Bus Routes Raises Safety and Revenue Concerns

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Fare evasion has become a significant issue on Auckland’s bus network, with recent estimates suggesting that nearly 3% of journeys—approximately one million instances—went unpaid over the past six months. While transport officers caught 12,700 fare evaders, only 4.8% received fines, and 2.4% were issued warnings, highlighting concerns about enforcement effectiveness.  Key routes such as...

Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Loses $407,000 CAD to Fare Evasion in 2024
The City Hires Law Enforcement Officers to Deter Daily Fare Evasion Incidents

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Greater Sudbury’s public transit system has suffered a significant revenue loss of $407,000 CAD in 2024 due to fare evasion on its public transit system, particularly on buses.    In response, the city council has approved the hiring of two part-time municipal law enforcement officers (MLEOs) to monitor buses. These officers will focus on deterring...

Record Number of Fare Evaders in North Rhine-Westphalia
Fare Evasion and Rail Safety Concerns Escalate

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A recent report from Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (VRR) highlights a significant increase in fare evasion cases in North Rhine-Westphalia, Düsseldorf. Last year, nearly 12,900 individuals were caught without valid tickets, an increase of 3,500 from the previous year. This number only accounts for detected incidents, indicating a potentially higher number of unreported cases. Public transportation...

Muni Hires Additional Fare Inspectors
San Francisco's Muni Faces Rising Fare Evasion, with figures doubling since 2019

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As of 2024, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), which operates Muni, is facing a significant increase in fare evasion rates, which have almost doubled from 12.8% in 2019 to an estimated 20.8%. In response, Muni is considering increasing its workforce by hiring additional fare inspectors, aiming to return to the staff levels...

New York City Deploys 800 Officers to Combat Subway Fare Evasion
Increased Law Enforcement to Address Safety and Fare Compliance in NYC Subways

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New York City has increased its efforts to combat subway fare evasion by deploying 800 additional police officers. This measure, announced on March 25, 2024, aims to tackle the sharp rise in turnstile-jumping:  over 1,700 people have been arrested this year for turnstile-jumping, up from 965 in 2023, and 28,000 tickets have already been...

Recife Buses Introduce Turnstiles to Counter Fare Evasion
Pernambuco government's move aims to reduce significant revenue losses.

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In order to reduce fare evasion, the Recife Metropolitan Region in Brazil is currently testing turnstiles on 14 bus lines. The Pernambuco government has accompanied this program since it started in June.    The Grande Recife Metropolitan Transport Consortium (Grande Recife Consórcio de Transporte Metropolitano, CTM) has already equipped 32 out of the 41 buses...

Safety in public transport: social distancing vs face masks
Social distancing is much harder to implement post-lockdown than asking passengers to wear face masks yet it is regarded by the majority of authorities as a key measure in stopping Covid19

London Tube

Authorities and public transit organisations have yet to agree on the best way forward to revive public transport while ensuring safety from Covid-19. So far it looks like most decision makers consent on the measure of wearing face masks. These are now obligatory in public transport in countries like Germany, China, and Spain. However,...

Mobility apps reveal user public transit data during Covid-19
Moovit, Citymapper, Transit, Apple and Google confirm similar trends albeit with some variations

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Demand for public transport fell to record lows in the past months as the Coronavirus swept through communities around the world. Ridership fell from 65% to less than 10% of normal capacity, and transit organisations adapted their schedules and service frequency to reflect demand. We looked at the data from several urban mobility apps...

Face masks: how effective against Covid-19 in public transport?
As authorities start to ease restrictions people are asked to wear masks in public places to minimise the risk of spreading the virus

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Public transport travel has changed dramatically since the outbreak of coronavirus. Operators are confronted with staff deaths and infections, massive drops in ridership, and some companies require bailout money to keep service running. Several countries have introduced new rules for travelling in public transport in order to limit the spread of the disease. One...