Article: More public transport cheats caught

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More public transport cheats caught

More public transport cheats caught

    by: Staff Writer
    From: Herald Sun
    December 21, 2011 12:00AM

A CRACKDOWN on fare evasion has seen double the number of commuters fined for cheating.

During October, the Department of Transport issued more then 18,700 notices for fare evasion, compared with just 9500 during the same month last year.

Public Transport Minister Terry Mulder said the Government was taking a tougher approach to cheats.

A survey conducted during October found 11.9 per cent of passengers were not paying their way, down from 13.5 per cent in May.

The tram network still has the most cheats (18.4 per cent), followed by trains (8.5 per cent) and buses (7.6 per cent).

Mr Mulder said the new figures were a good sign, but fare evasion was still unacceptably high.

Money lost through fare evasion - about $80 million a year - was needed to pay for improved public transport, Mr Mulder said.

This was enough to buy two trains, six trams and 28 buses, he said.

"We need to get tough with fare evaders because we need every cent available to go into fixing public transport for all passengers," he said.

Adults caught without a ticket are fined $180, while those under 18 are given a $61 penalty.

Public transport fares will rise by an average 8.6 per cent from January 1.