How to Tackle and Minimise Fare Evasion on Public Transport?

jv hi fi on 12/08/2015 - 23:03
Last edited 13/08/2015 - 00:07

Hi everyone,

In light of TA's recent post, https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/206771, which appears to have generated polarising opinions on the topic of 'free public transport', I wanted to have a discussion on fare evasion.

In Victoria, it is estimated 1 in every 10 people fare evade and it costs the Victorian State Government millions of dollars along with other consequences (such as underestimating patronage on services). Fare evasion is not only limited to Victoria or Australia, but is an issue world-wide. We all know our overstretched public transport systems needs more funding (for services, infrastructure, maintenance etc.) and fare evasion is considered stealing, so what can we do to reduce fare evasion?

I travel on public transport almost everyday and often people jump on without validating their ticket (yes, they may have a monthly or a pass that entitles free public transport, however this is not always the case). It is also disheartening to see some school children getting on the bus without validating their ticket. For whatever reason, whether it is lack of money for public transport, saving money (hope there are no OzBargainers doing this) or entitlement to free public transport, there is substantial freeloading occurring.

Authorised Officers are the main deterrent to fare evasion in Melbourne (along with train barriers and manned train stations), however, I feel their presence is almost non-existent on the public transport routes/services I take. Apparently, fare evasion fines don't even get put back into the public transport budget either. I feel that the lack of presence of Authorised Officers on some routes and services has led to some areas with rampant fare evasion as people don't expect to be caught.

So what are your suggestions on tackling this issue? Fare evasion will never be wiped out but it can be minimised a lot more. As I said before, this is probably a prevalent issue Australia-wide.

tldr; Fare evasion is a problem, what we can do to minimise it?

Travel

Comments

  • OzzyB on 12/08/2015 - 23:15
    +35

    Well…. for a start putting a system that actually worked would be a good idea.

    Machines that one can purchase tickets on board or at a stop.
    Machines that will accept coins, notes and cards.
    Make it convenient so people can actually do the right thing.

    • DrStinge on 12/08/2015 - 23:31
      +23

      Combine this with:
      - Topping up online is processed instantly; not in a days time
      - Having top up stations at more locations (including minor stops)
      - Equipping Officers with ticket purchase machines instead of fine machines

      • jv hi fi on 12/08/2015 - 23:36
        +4

        Agreed with making it easier - ridiculous how it takes 24 hours to get credit added onto a card when paying on the internet.

        • [Deactivated] on 13/08/2015 - 00:26
          +1

          That's a pain. Our Opal card here in Sydney only takes 60 minutes (it says "allow 60 minutes" I believe) for the credit to load onto the card when paying online. I thought that was pretty great because I'm the type to remember at the last minute that I've run out of credit as I'm about to head off for a trip.

          You'd think Melbourne would be onto that. Hopefully they do soon for you all.

        • andgucps on 13/08/2015 - 22:56

          @waterlogged turnip: I've heard it take up to 48 hours… pretty surprising stuff. Especially if you use a debit card!

        • Bargainz on 14/08/2015 - 09:57
          +1

          @waterlogged turnip: I "topped" up at around 10pm the night before and got to the railway at 8am only to see "insufficient funds". Had to then goto a bloody milk bar to put my last lot of cash on the card only to miss the train. The whole system is rubbish.

        • driew on 14/08/2015 - 17:26

          @waterlogged turnip:

          Sometimes there's a delay so it can take more than 60 minutes.

    • [Deactivated] on 14/08/2015 - 16:47
      +2

      As much as I agree that a system that works would be a great idea, I don't think that would have significant impact on fare evasion.

      Evading fare because the machines don't work is like shoplifting because the lines are too long; it happens, but those are isolated incidences.

    • newsim on 24/08/2015 - 01:27
      +1

      Its suprising how good the system in perth is :

      • You can buy tickets at all stops and vehicles
      • Machine on board does not accept card but every where else all forms of currency accepted.
      • Instant reload of your card and you can setup a fixed amount (your choice) as autoload from your credit card and you actually get a discount when you do the autoload setup
      • We have had integration with google maps since atleast 2012.
  • indium on 12/08/2015 - 23:21
    +7

    When you see students not touching on/off I guarantee you 99% of them have a yearly pass that their parents bought. I have a friend who fare evades to work which is a 3 min train ride each way. He doesn't feel it's justified paying $7.50 for a daily ticket for 6 min of train travel.

    It's also very easy to avoid getting caught unless you are getting off at a city station with barriers. Not sure how to fix the issue though.

    • jv hi fi on 12/08/2015 - 23:32

      You're right although I've seen lots of high school students touch on and get a negative balance sound or there's a lot that like to pretend that they touched on by brushing the Myki card against the machine very quickly. I saw someone yesterday (not a high school student) use their ID card as a pass to get on lol.

    • Randxyz123 on 12/08/2015 - 23:58
      -1

      Since when is a 3 minute train ride $7.50?

      • ozhunter on 13/08/2015 - 00:26
        +7

        Cost is for a daily ticket. He probably goes on it for only 1 stop to work and 1 stop on the way home. Even he did get fined eventually, it's likely it works out better for him to continue to not buy the ticket.

      • indium on 13/08/2015 - 00:42
        +3

        Myki in Melbourne is calculated either 2 hour ticket or daily ticket for trains. So if you catch the train again outside the 2 hour period it counts as a daily.

      • HoneyComb on 13/08/2015 - 20:48
        +5

        I went to visit melbourne for the melb cup. I was new to the whole myki thing so I went and had to speak to the person selling them for more information. It Freakin' cost me $7.50 for 1 train stop from the city to Rod Laver arena. I was shocked. It wasn't even return. it was one way. one stop and a 2 minute ride. Also i spent almost 45 minutes trying to work out the myki by speaking to the myki person so I spent $7.50 + 45 minutes of time wasted.

        On the way back from the tennis. I took a cab from rod laver arena to my hotel which was close to rod laver but 1 train stop away. Cost about $12 and I instantly regretted not getting a cab there. If i knew a cab was only going to be $5 more. I would've rather a cab than waste 45 minutes of my time figuring out the myki.

        My experience as a visitor/tourist using myki was horrible

        • ronnknee on 13/08/2015 - 22:40
          -3

          Why did it take you 45 minutes to figure how to use your Myki?

        • Randxyz123 on 13/08/2015 - 23:15
          +1

          I went to visit melbourne for the melb cup.

          You mean The Australian Open right??

          I was new to the whole myki thing so I went and had to speak to the person selling them for more information. It Freakin' cost me $7.50 for 1 train stop from the city to Rod Laver arena.

          This is exactly my point above with the family of 5

          On the way back from the tennis. I took a cab from rod laver arena to my hotel which was close to rod laver but 1 train stop away. Cost about $12

          I was gonna say… You should've gotten a cab or a uber

        • HoneyComb on 13/08/2015 - 23:17

          @knick007: OOpps yes i mean Australian Open. lol

        • Funky Moose on 14/08/2015 - 15:30

          Out of the various ticketing systems I've tried around the world, myki is the worst. As I understand it, its also (of the ones I've tried) the newest.

          In London they let you tag on and off with paypass - you don't even need a ticket. The Singapore system was cool in that every ticket was a cardboard smart card and you could 'reload' your old tickets for a small discount - or you could use a plastic smart card.

          Even here in Perth I've set up an auto-reload that keeps my card top-upped to $20 - this processes once a day. Auto-reload nets me a 10% discount that more than makes up for having to have $20 constantly on the card. Plus you can still buy cash fares if you want too. We've also got 8-9 fare zones in a city a fraction the size of Melbourne compared with 2 for Melbourne trains.

          I really don't understand how Myki ended up so terrible or why you pay so much for short trips…

        • umoddbro on 14/08/2015 - 22:47

          @Funky Moose: How does the auto-reload work? does your card top up to $20 after it reaches a certain balance?

        • Funky Moose on 16/08/2015 - 10:57

          @mtran0708: at some time during the night the balance gets made up to $20 if its under it.

          So apart from the initial $20 deposit it works more like a daily post paid system.

      • Bargainz on 14/08/2015 - 09:59
        +1

        One station is around 2.40 each way in Sydney. Absolute joke, subsidising people who travel long distances. Cheaper to drive they should have KM based the fee structure.

    • ilikeradiohead on 14/08/2015 - 11:37
      +6

      Maybe your friend should walk instead of free riding.

      • btst7000 on 14/08/2015 - 21:40

        It's not like his 3 minute ride adds to the cost of the train for other people.

        • jlogic on 15/08/2015 - 19:57
          +1

          It's not like walking adds to the cost of the train ride either. This is exactly the behaviour that justifies it for those that evade.

          Removes fines and charge double the fare that would of been paid. Payable on the spot or you get off.

          Hire part time inspectors to cover the peak periods.

          Heck contract it out half the fare to the Public Transport Authority and half to the contractor.

      • indium on 15/08/2015 - 10:28

        Maybe. Maybe they should charge per station until you hit the 2 hour or daily price cap.

    • virhlpool on 15/08/2015 - 18:57

      When you see students not touching on/off I guarantee you 99% of them have a yearly pass that their parents bought.

      It doesn't mean that students shouldn't be taught the discipline of tabbing their card on the machine. It's a habit that every citizen needs to develop and they better start at a young age.

      • algy on 15/08/2015 - 21:30
        -2

        Why? That's stupid, you don't need to form a bloody habit of touching on/off. The reason you should touch on even with a yearly is that insurance is only valid when touched on.

    • bluedufflecoat on 16/08/2015 - 19:56
      +1

      If your friend doesn't feel that it's justified paying $7.50 for 6 min of train travel, maybe he shouldn't use the trains at all? They cost millions to build and millions more to run. He should not fare evade. Alternatives are drive to the city in traffic and find a car park for at least $15/day. Great value for money there!

  • YTW on 12/08/2015 - 23:32
    -4

    Make the fines so high that it isn't worth the risk and then up the patrols.

    • jv hi fi on 12/08/2015 - 23:35
      +2

      Fines have gone up but they have also gone down for students in Victoria as apparently, a lot of students who got caught couldn't pay it (it used to be the same fine for both adults and students).

      Now, Public Transport Victoria has introduced the $75 on the spot fine as I think a lot of fines weren't getting paid (or getting appealed). Probably guarantees them a lot more fines coming through than trying to send a $200+ infringement notice.

      Patrols need to be up but from reading The Age yesterday, Authorised Officers are paid on average, $89,000 a year. So I think it's rather expensive, when you need to get a group of four to do the checking…

      • [Deactivated] on 13/08/2015 - 02:53

        Fare evasion fines in Melbourne are lower for those under the age of eighteen ($76.00). Adults over 18 would be liable to pay the full infringement amount ($223.00).

        On-the-spot $75.00 penalty fares were a 12-month trial starting 10 August 2014, so I'm not certain as to whether they are still offered to fare evaders now.

        I'm not really aware of student concessions when it comes to fare evasion fines, but I'm happy to be proven otherwise.

      • hahaboy on 13/08/2015 - 19:19
        +13

        $89k? seriously -.-

        They really bug me. I get they are doing their jobs, but its more often than not revenue collection.

        Recently, i got a fine because my card didn't touch on properly on the way to the city. I go in every day, and couldn't exit the gates. The officer checks my card, and even after explaining i come everyday and him confirming that on his machine he offers me the option to pay $75 on the stop or get $200+ in the mail. Seriously, 3x the ticket price if you don't accept their money grab scheme on the spot? Seems legit. I took the mail fine, had it contested and got it removed. I find it so useless when its blatantly biased.

        Even though i pay for my tickets, i don't mind some people fare evade. Might be flawed thinking, but their systems are overpriced and so badly set-up for a public good, I'm almost content that people fare evade.

        Let the downvotes begin.

        • Serapis on 14/08/2015 - 04:20
          +2

          lol didn't get the downvotes as expected

          I would agree with you on your points. I'm from NSW and reason salary might be so high is because here they actually replaced a lot of transport officers with uniformed police.

          Furthermore, I've found if you're rushing for a train and you don't swipe your Opal card properly, it doesn't register half the time and you risk ending up with a fine. Same if balance happened to be low.

          Would be far better if, instead of tapping on or off, you just had something like a bracelet with a chip linked to an app on your phone, and you would be registered as soon as you walk through a gate, sort of like an etag. Through the app you can recharge the band via various means and you can also pay a missed fare straight away through alerts on the app (eg. if their balance was low). Transport officers can charge you the fare on the spot if your band missed the scan. The only ones caught out then would be people who never intended to pay for transport at all. Also band may be used to purchase small items at shops with limits like a paywave debit system (eg. gum / snacks at 7/11, a small meal at mcdonalds, etc.) Something like the MagicBands at Disneyland.

          However knowing state govt and their incompetence, it will be 20 years before this happens. We'll still partly be using paper tickets and cash while everyone elsewhere are using biometric credit chits.

        • btst7000 on 14/08/2015 - 21:42

          This is a bad idea. The wrist bands would be expensive, and would need to be connected to a phone. What if your phone runs out of battery? What if your wrist band is stolen? What if you only travel once a year - is the wrist band a viable cost? What if you want some level of anonymity? etc.

        • hahaboy on 14/08/2015 - 23:14

          @Serapis: that was just my guise to get people to not downvote me…reverse psychology.

          Let the downvotes begin this time :p

          This should be interesting one - how people respond to this and my other post. haha

          The phone idea is interesting, but probably rely on everyone having smartphones with nfc capabilities.

        • Bullion78 on 15/08/2015 - 00:22

          I had the exact same mindset, I travelled on the 96 tram in and out of the city for about 8 yrs and very rarely got a seat and jammed in like a sardine in peak hours.. To think I was going to pay for that privilege.

      • [Deactivated] on 16/08/2015 - 23:02

        They get $90k for bumming around and go on "strike" next week? I feel vomiting whenever I hear this word!

        I rather see that money goes towards poor people travelling for free than to pay these workers going on strike!

        Privatise them all!

  • Randxyz123 on 12/08/2015 - 23:55
    +8

    Improve Myki - it runs on Windows 95 FFS. Half the time it doesn't read the card or the reader is broken.

    I got on my regular bus the other day and at one stop 5 people had to top up their myki. It took about 2-3 minutes per person. It'd probably take double that if people paid by card.

    A few weeks ago I was in 7-11 Southbank . A family of 5 were in front of me trying to buy Mykis as they obviously assumed it was the cheapest way to get around. The guy at 7-11 told them that it would be cheaper .( I was about to step in and tell them to download Uber, offer them a promo code and send them on their way) However The guy at 7-11 told them to walk to crown and grab a cab as it was going to be cheaper.

    Myki cards are $6 each + something like a 10 min reload for each card. So do the maths for a family of 5 travelling to Melbourne.

    I was in New York at the start of the year. US$30 got me 7 days of unlimited subway travel. $30 doesn't even get me a month of going to and from Uni and I'm a student.

    So… Those are some of my thoughts.

    Reasons for fare evasion

    • Cost

    • Slow systems

    • Lack of information

    • Unable to get short term tickets on a tram (yes this happened to someone I met at Uni… He didn't realise he couldn't top up on a tram when he first arrived in Melbourne - he appealed and the fine was withdrawn but still…)

    • [Deactivated] on 13/08/2015 - 09:33
      -6

      Are you mad?
      When has it ever taken 10 minutes to top up a MyKi? Never. You're just full of sheit

      • Randxyz123 on 13/08/2015 - 11:48
        +1

        I'm not full of sheit…I just made a typo I meant 10 minutes in total… It does take 2-3 minutes per card to top up

        • [Deactivated] on 13/08/2015 - 12:28
          -7

          No it doesn't. At 7-11 a top up takes around 10-15 seconds.

        • FatBlanket on 13/08/2015 - 15:30
          +1

          @Drew22:
          Topping up with Eftpos at the machine does take a long time. I've missed so many trains because of it. And not only when Im topping up, even if I bring cash I often get stuck behind someone else who's using eftpos.

        • [Deactivated] on 13/08/2015 - 16:14

          @FatBlanket:
          The machines are slow, 7-11 is quick

      • rapoot6 on 13/08/2015 - 19:19

        If you are using are debit card it can take that long. No joke I've stood in front of the machines on the side so people behind can see it is the machine and not me..

        • abh_gup on 13/08/2015 - 20:54
          +3

          Melbourne's Myki is the most incompetent implementation of a ticketing system. People from Calcutta (India) would know their 'Metro' ticketing has not really had a major fault/glitch in over 30 years, extremely easy to use and affordable to ordinary citizens. Fail proof systems. No 'myki doesn't work' errors and issues and being expensive unnecessarily with those. So done with this #$%*~d system.

        • [Deactivated] on 13/08/2015 - 20:54

          At a machine, yes, at 7-11, no.

      • apey2000 on 14/08/2015 - 21:00

        Ahhh Drew.. do you work for PTV or something?

        • [Deactivated] on 14/08/2015 - 22:22

          No.

        • apey2000 on 14/08/2015 - 23:21

          Then why the love for a broken system??? Do you live 20km from CBD and pay $3.50 to take public transport in, just like I do for travelling < 1km?

          Where is the love, brother?

          @Drew22:

    • [Deactivated] on 13/08/2015 - 16:16
      -3

      Oh, and MyKi runs on Windows Embedded CE 6 released in 2006, not Windows 95 as you so claim. So yeah, full of sheit.

      http://www.acs-inc.com/uploadedfiles/microsite-transportatio…

    • bjdchwr on 13/08/2015 - 22:04
      +2

      Win 95? R U Kidding?

      Mike Readers are running on embedded system and I think it's kind of STM32 alike ARM system. I saw one of their system crashed and it seemed that they wrote the software with Java.

  • bargainslut on 12/08/2015 - 23:57
    +4

    The best way to tackle this massive global issue is with brute force.

    I'd give a big thumbs up if the drivers and conductors were heavily armed with the latest A grade weapons.

  • DeafMutePretender on 13/08/2015 - 00:00
    +33

    Probably not the answer you're looking for but a civilised society has free public transport for everyone.

    How will this be funded? By an incorruptible government that collects taxes from everyone (including and especially the big corporations) and spends it where it is needed as opposed to where it is not.

    • bargainslut on 13/08/2015 - 00:12
      +4

      This is the least complex but best idea by a country mile. The only problem is our current government is inept regarding finance.

    • mskeggs on 13/08/2015 - 08:26
      +4

      Plus reduced expenditure on ticketing, patrols and fine processing.
      And don't forget the big one, huge reductions in road spending over time.
      I won't mention the improvements for the environment.

    • Daytripper on 13/08/2015 - 10:39
      +3

      Agree 100% - stop spending money on ticketing and fare evasion policing systems and give free public transport. The money saved would probably be more than the money spent. And agree with @mskeggs that, given the opportunity to travel free, most will leave the car at home, reducing associated costs for both govt and public - and a huge plus for the environment (easy way for govt to meet its carbon reduction obligations - other than just adjusting the target down).

    • scotty on 13/08/2015 - 10:47
      +2

      You'll then find forum posts such as "How do I avoid paying public transport levy when I ride my bike to work all the time?" Differ from other levy such as Medicare, some people might rarely use it in their entire lifetime.

    • snook on 13/08/2015 - 11:58
      +2

      In a past life I worked at CityRail in Sydney. The costs of running the trains is something like 70% more than any revenue they're getting in sales.

      I imagine that if everyone paid the taxes they should pay, then the Government might actually have money to provide better things to the public. But, as we know, rich people and corporations feel that they are above paying tax and entitled to pay less than everyone else.

    • FatBlanket on 13/08/2015 - 15:31
      +3

      Free transport doesn't help the rich therefore you wont see it happening. We couldn't even get the NBN right. Fat chance of this happening.

    • cloudy on 13/08/2015 - 17:39
      +1

      How much did the government burn on myki? How much do we spend on enforcement, design of our ticketing system, etc.??

      If we didn't spend billions on all this we could have had free transport for years. Maybe add in a tip jar on each entrance and we're probably set for most of the transport cost.

      Additionally, scrap the idea of 24hr transport to accommodate the drunken nightclubbers and we're good for most of societal use.

    • arcticmonkey on 13/08/2015 - 21:57
      +1

      A noble idea. Collecting taxes from just one large multinational could cover the public transport system for a whole year. Now we just need a politician with balls.

      It definitely won't be the Liberals. The Greens are the closest to putting this into practice.

      • snook on 14/08/2015 - 11:42
        +1

        We need a world of balls. If anyone were to instigate such a thing, the corporations would leave for a better tax haven.

        Countries vie to have corporations because they bring jobs. This means that Governments all over the world, crawl on their knees to get them by offering subsidies and less tax. This is why Google EU HQ is in Dublin. In the US, a few states don't collect personal income tax so rich people go live there, just like Monaco.

        Our entire world is set up to benefit the rich. Should there be a worldwide coup, the incoming powers would no doubt be as corrupt as those vacating.

    • DeafMutePretender on 14/08/2015 - 01:16
      +1

      My highest upvoted comment so far in my Ozbargain posting career. Strange though since the contents of my comment are hardly controversial nor offensive. We must be living in a bizarro world for people to find enlightenment and inspiration in a common sense comment.

      I'm guessing the lone person who downvoted my comment was Tony Abbott or works in the car industry.

      • arcticmonkey on 14/08/2015 - 18:48
        +1

        People get their enlightenment and inspiration from the Daily Telegraph, Herald Scum and the Murdoch media.

        How else could we have such an inept group as the Liberals in charge?

      • cheng2008 on 15/08/2015 - 17:47

        My fear is that as with everything to do with politics, there will be unintended consequences.

        Just speculation, but the main issues I see are that corporations will up and leave the country all together, and as a result governments fear that lucrative jobs with MNCs will be lost. Also, there will be people complaining about subsidisation of the public transport system, just as some do with social security, socialised education and socialised healthcare. This will influence votes and possibly create a niche for politicians that use opposition to this as a platform.

        In short, it's an ideal scenario, but democracy doesn't necessarily guarantee that the best solution will be implemented, only the most popular.

    • leiiv on 14/08/2015 - 01:21
      +2

      This is actually the best answer to the problem. By making the fare $0, fare evasion will be totally eliminated. It is doable as there are some cities out there with free public transport. It may also reduce traffic congestion as it will encourage people to take public transport rather than driving their cars.

    • snook on 14/08/2015 - 11:44

      Remember how well the mining tax went down?

    • Elnato on 15/08/2015 - 17:06
      +1

      Why should a worker who travels to work by car get taxed for public transport, seems pretty unreasonable

      • NancyCat on 15/08/2015 - 18:06
        +1

        Same reason as why people who don't have kids pay tax to fund public schools.

      • lymon on 15/08/2015 - 21:35

        More public transport will mean more space on the road. If they called it a road space levy, would it seem more reasonable to you?

        • Elnato on 15/08/2015 - 22:50

          good point, but public transport isnt increasing it was becoming free, its a fair enough point that more would be needed to acomadate the increased demand but it still seems unreasonable, like alot of the current taxing i guess

  • [Deactivated] on 13/08/2015 - 00:19
    +2

    Let's start with not publicly posting 'deals' which incite fare evasion. That'd be a fantastic milestone.

  • Unorthodox on 13/08/2015 - 01:17

    Have it so you can buy tickets or such when you get on the bus.

    Upgrade the system.

    • [Deactivated] on 13/08/2015 - 02:51

      http://ptv.vic.gov.au/tickets/myki/buying-your-myki/

      Admitted you cannot purchase myki cards on board Trams, but they are most certainly available on board buses.

      • Unorthodox on 13/08/2015 - 10:24

        Didn't know that! Wondering if it was a recent change.

        Although, it would be quite unhelpful if you maybe forgot it at home etc since you would need to pay for the myki + top up compared to the $2 old paper ticket way

        I used to see lots of students/younger people say they forgot their myki and couldn't buy another

  • Findo on 13/08/2015 - 02:10
    -2

    Shoot those who evade fares on sight (by authorised officers of the law only, of course)

  • Ughhh on 13/08/2015 - 05:24
    +2

    If you see someone who is about to hop into the bus via the exit only door in the bus and you're close to the door, jump in front suddenly so they rebound back out (assuming you're a big person) then say "thy shall not enter!"

    • quirki on 13/08/2015 - 22:45
      +1

      or you shall not pass

  • Davo1111 on 13/08/2015 - 05:59
    +3

    I'm not actually for 100% free transport. A slight barrier to entry (even if $1/day on a myki card) would keep much of the riff raff out and allow police to move on trouble makers.

    • veetor on 13/08/2015 - 21:54
      +5

      I find the riff raff are already on the public transport to begin with.

      • Bargainz on 14/08/2015 - 10:02

        Would be interesting to see how many are using concession cards.

  • dojomojo on 13/08/2015 - 07:30
    +1

    Have the bus drivers actually check student IDs and concession cards when passengers board.

    • hahaboy on 13/08/2015 - 19:24

      How does that work for trains? :p

  • rambutann on 13/08/2015 - 09:00

    I feel like fare evasion is much higher in Victoria in comparison to Perth for a couple of reasons:

    • Myki is a useless system (doesnt allow instant online topups, even the machines at stations are slow, takes forever to touch on etc.)

    • Ticket inspectors arent scary at all and its easy to run from them, in Perth they are often larger people that most people wouldnt want to mess with.

    • The distance between stations is also a factor, stations tend to be close to one another in Melbourne so you can often jump off the train and run. Perth doesnt always have this luxury (Butler/Mandurah lines especially..)

    As for what we can do to fix it? You could make public transport slow down so that all tickets are checked between two stations so that nobody is able to get off - publicize that shit and people will get scared of that happening. Also every point above is also a damn good point.

    • Davo1111 on 13/08/2015 - 15:41
      +2

      Perth also has free public transport within the city limits.

      • ThirdRonnie on 13/08/2015 - 22:59

        This has got to be the biggest laugh of all time. It's only free if you've got a ticket. They changed it in 2006 from just hopping on and off within the zone to needing to have a ticket, which would not be charged if you only travel within the free city centre zone. Granted the CAT buses were free but limited in their coverage.

        • Davo1111 on 13/08/2015 - 23:33
          +1

          within perth? are you sure?

          I think the requirement for a ticket in the FTZ only is for trains, buses are cool.

        • pennae on 17/08/2015 - 07:01

          @Davo1111: yeh it's only for trains and that's because of the barriers in Perth station.

  • pernunz on 13/08/2015 - 09:26
    +3

    Increasing the fine amount will not be a sufficient deterrent. People who fare evade act under the assumption that they won't get caught, not that in the long run, on average, it is better off for them.

    The best public transport systems in the world have very low fare evasion, because they are run optimally. Take Tokyo's train system. At each station, you tap on (or submit a ticket) when you enter and exit the platform, not when you enter and exit the train carriage. Because of how the gates work, it's impossible to evade the fare unless you jump a turnstile. It's a seamless process, and the gates can have their direction altered.

    Good system design ensures it is quicker and easier for people to do the right thing, instead of punishing them through time-intensive exercises and frustrations

    • Feeblely on 14/08/2015 - 17:57
      -1

      this is partially correct. japenese people dont fare evade due to their culture and societal values

  • NancyCat on 13/08/2015 - 09:31
    +6

    Well, just look at the Octopus card in Hong Kong. Their ticketing system has been working brilliantly for almost 20 years. Given the huge number of HK people using public transport everyday, fare evasion is very low (and let's be honest…HK is not known for its law-abiding citizens!) Few things come to mind of how/why the Octopus works so well:

    • It's not just a ticket for public transport (including taxis), you can use the card for payment at carparks and many retails stores, school tuck shops. Therefore, almost everyone owns/carry an Octopus card.
    • In case you don't have a card (eg tourist), there is ALWAYS way to pay/buy ticket with loose change.
    • Fare base on how far you travel. Someone travel for a few stops should logically pay less than someone traveling for 2 hours?!
    • Passenger board tram at the front only, driver make sure he/she swipe the card/pay fare. (Extra work for tram drivers…they would hate this!!)

    Having said that, to completely change our current system to work like Octopus (or whatever) will cost lots of money. Knowing our government, they would rather spend millions (billions?) to 'fix' the unfixable.

    • spychiatrist on 13/08/2015 - 09:38

      Similar to Japan's ICOCA

    • scotty on 13/08/2015 - 11:01
      +5

      Funny that Octopus card was actually designed by an Australian company back in 1994.

      • lplau on 13/08/2015 - 15:26
        +1

        Ironic that we sell an Australian made product to Hong Kong however the stuff we use in Australia sucks big time.

        Somebody should be fired.

        • ctrlaltdel on 13/08/2015 - 20:35

          i totally agree with you @lplau
          guess someone in the labor govt back then must have given heaps of incentive by the vendor and lots of overseas trip.
          and it was way over-budget too.

        • OYC on 14/08/2015 - 00:23
          +2

          @ctrlaltdel: royal commission please!

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join