Fare evasion - articles discussion ...

[somebody]

Auckland: $20 on board fare.  (Not around the nation though.)

[ozbob]

Searching for the present fine for fare evasion in Hobart, found this from 1927 ..

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/67779957

Up to 5 quid for riding in tram cars without ticket plus twice the fare evaded ..

[Using the RBA pre decimal inflation calculator http://www.rba.gov.au/calculator/annualPreDecimal.html

5 pounds in 1927 is around $360 today ..  fairly hefty fine ... ]



Hobart trams and trolley bus, circa 1940

[ozbob]

Hobart is interesting.  Apparently no ticket inspectors as such, is up to the  bus drivers.  If a passenger cannot pay name and address is meant to be taken and they are to pay later. People can be prosecuted though for fare evasion but not sure of the penalty as such.

There was some industrial stuff in March of this year http://www.examiner.com.au/story/1375457/metro-dispute-turns-ugly/

[ozbob]

Queensland Times --> One-year train ban for $13,000 worth of rail offences

[Matt]

They ought to give that clown from Bundamba a toothbrush and some paint stripper and he can work off his fines by removing graffiti.

[Matt]

Bob,
          Would you know what percentage of fares aren't paid for, and if the GoCard is flexible enough to only give concession holders their discounted fare outside of peak times, ( 9 to 3).

[ozbob]

Bob,
          Would you know what percentage of fares aren't paid for, and if the GoCard is flexible enough to only give concession holders their discounted fare outside of peak times, ( 9 to 3).

Average is probably at least 5%, although this would vary widely I would expect.  Eg. fare evasion rates at Central as a % would be lower than say at Goodna ...

Yes, go card can be programmed to do such things.  But they do have some restrictions because they did not get all the software initially, and it costs a real motza to effect software algorithm changes.

I don't think restricting concession fares to outside of peak times will fly.  As students for example would be impacted as well as others.

What many jurisdictions do though is give Seniors etc. free travel off peak and this makes more peak room ...

[Matt]

Ok, thanks very much Bob.

[Matt]

That 500,000 free trips sounds like a hell of a lot, the trouble is, the 9 and free giveaway doesn't promote any extra patronage, they are most likely 9 to 5 ers anyway, who would still pay to get home Friday night anyway.
The call for lower everyday fares seems fairer, but what are we getting instead, a 7.5% increase and no CRR.
Marvellous !

[longboi]

When I lived in Tas, it was pretty damn hard to fare evade, especially with No train. You had to pay upfront. Without trains, long haul commuter buses and depending on ticketing system used, fare evasion is probably not a big issue for them.

And the fines for the others, first offense is ok, but really for a 2nd offense if you are not fining $500 or more you are not serious. The current fines means for those travelling but avoiding the larger stations, you are only reliant on the occasion ticket inspector and on an all stopper if you are in the right position with 2-3min to next station at most on a busy train, you could easily get off in time. I think I have been checked once maybe twice in 15 years of occasional use including 15mth of regular use to Milton. In Sydney when I commuted there in 80's, I'd get checked weekly at least and at most stations getting off.

Uh...increasing on-the-spot fines willy-nilly won't change the level of fare evasion. Those who believe they won't get caught or don't care about their record will continue to evade fare and honest people will continue to pay. Not to mention the punishment also has to be proportionate to the offence, and fare evasion isn't exactly on the same level as drink driving.

Besides, the maximum penalty for fare evasion under s.143AC of TOPTA is already $4400 or 6 months imprisonment.

[ozbob]

From the Brisbane mX 12th September 2013 page one

We ride on fine

[techblitz]

Dutton Park/South Brisbane Blitz
City South News 03.10



Article on Petrie Station 
North Lakes Times 03.10

[auspup]

It has to be higher. What did they base those figures on ? A while back, I used to count how many people didn't tag off my train station at around 4pm (A lot of students). I would be lucky if 50% of people even tagged off.

[longboi]

It has to be higher. What did they base those figures on ? A while back, I used to count how many people didn't tag off my train station at around 4pm (A lot of students). I would be lucky if 50% of people even tagged off.

lol.

[curator49]

I had to travel into South Brisbane on the 5:30 am train ex Sunnybank twice in two days recently. On both occasions there were four out of five detraining passengers at Southbank who did not "touch off". You can see this at almost any suburban train station with those in the early mornings (before Peak) probably the worst.

I have seen the same occurrence at Milton station and others as well.

[James]

This is part of the reason why we need to remove paper tickets, then fare gates can be installed at all stations. Sure, fare evaders will just jump the gates, but it makes it a lot easier to figure out who is fare evading simply by observing those who don't touch off (or long term, those who jump the gates).

[Set in train]

This is part of the reason why we need to remove paper tickets, then fare gates can be installed at all stations. Sure, fare evaders will just jump the gates, but it makes it a lot easier to figure out who is fare evading simply by observing those who don't touch off (or long term, those who jump the gates).

So the stations will be staffed 24/7? Coomera - Varsity all have fare gates but there is always an open manual gate when the staff are not there.

[James]

So the stations will be staffed 24/7? Coomera - Varsity all have fare gates but there is always an open manual gate when the staff are not there.

I don't see why the station needs to be staffed 24/7. Yes, people will jump over gates, but then that makes it bloody obvious. Could even be some community vigilante, or if there is a god, the delinquent youths on landing will fall, break something and then have to drag themselves along the ground in a most undignified fashion. As you can see, I have zero sympathy for fare evaders.

Regardless, it makes fare evasion a far more public thing, and less of a spontaneous 'I might get a free ride off this'. It makes it deliberate and intentional and not a matter of laziness. Ideally the ticket office would be in such a range where evaders can be spotted.

Of course, paper will be removed by this time.

[SurfRail]

The cost of gating all stations would be prohibitive.  It was around $750K just for Nerang (10 gate installation with additional screening).  Money better spent on DDA upgrades and having roaming SNOs.

[Set in train]

The cost of gating all stations would be prohibitive.  It was around $750K just for Nerang (10 gate installation with additional screening).  Money better spent on DDA upgrades and having roaming SNOs.

I agree wholeheartedly with you SurfRail. Let's improve DDA and get those SNOs roaming more frequently and more widely.

[James]

The cost of gating all stations would be prohibitive.  It was around $750K just for Nerang (10 gate installation with additional screening).  Money better spent on DDA upgrades and having roaming SNOs.

Does it seriously cost as much as a large suburban house in a very well-to-do area just to install a few go card readers connected to large bits of dense plastic and metal?

And SNOs are a usable resource. 750k spent on SNOs eventually runs out. Fare gates don't. Yes, DDA access could also be improved, but by minimising fare evasion, more money can then be put into the network and allowing for those improvements.

[ozbob]

Minister for Transport and Main Roads
The Honourable Scott Emerson

Labor's go card loophole fixed

A Labor loophole that led to rorting of go cards has been fixed.

Transport and Main Roads Minister Scott Emerson said changes to the refundable deposit on adult go cards in May put a stop to the practice by a few who were deliberately fare evading by letting their balance run well into the negative with no intention to repay.

"By stopping rorting we are saving honest users more than $220,000 a year," Mr Emerson said.

"Since we increased the deposit in May we've seen a reduction in fixed fares, where someone fails to touch off, from 250,000 to 220,000 a month – about 1.8 per cent of all trips.

"We've also seen the number of cards sold across the network reduce from an average of 20,000 a week before May to 17,000, in a further indication that the rort is over.

"I think most people would be shocked, as I was, to see research showing thousands of people across the network misusing their go card by running their balance below the $5 deposit and then disposing of the card.

The loophole that led to rorting of the system grew when the former Labor Government reduced the go card deposit in December 2009 – before the first of their five scheduled 15 per cent fare increases.

"We've delivered our promise to halve the fare increases and provide free travel after nine weekly journeys," he said.

"While the majority of passengers use the system correctly, I won't accept people deliberately fare evading with no intention to repay the balance."

This change applied to the purchase of new adult go cards from May 6.

For more information on go cards, visit www.translink.com.au or phone 13 12 30.

From the Couriermail click here!

Taxpayers forced to make up shortfall

Taxpayers forced to make up shortfall

    by: Robyn Ironside
    From: The Courier-Mail
    April 09, 2013 12:00AM

BRISBANE'S latest rail rort is targeting the Airtrain - and taxpayers are picking up the tab to ensure its private operator is not left out of pocket.

Travellers riding the Airtrain have found a way to reduce the $16 fare in a scam that is costing TransLink up to $60,000 a month. And under its contract, the privately owned Airtrain still gets paid by TransLink, regardless of whether fares are paid in full.

Go cards can be bought for $10, which includes $5 credit.

The scam involves people buying an unregistered card, getting on the Airtrain - which costs $16 from Central Station - touching off at the airport and then discarding the card with a negative balance of $11. The rorter effectively saves $6 on the fare.

Under go card rules, as long as the balance is in the black at the touch-on point, travellers are permitted to touch off with a negative balance.

Go cards sales indicate they are being used as throwaway tickets by some people, with close to 2000 sold every day.

TransLink has been aware of the scam for some time and "is investigating".

Figures provided to The Courier-Mail from a source at TransLink showed losses from the practice climbed to $60,000 last month, double what they were a year ago.

TransLink data also showed about 6000 go cards were not used again in March after being used for an Airtrain trip.

A spokesman for Transport Minister Scott Emerson said the most recent data the department had, from October 2012, showed 1095 go cards were in "negative balance" when touched off after an Airtrain journey.

"This means approximately $7000 in lost revenue," he said.

"If people are misusing go cards in this way it is fare evading and illegal.

"Since the previous government reduced the go card deposit from $10 to $5 in December 2009, this activity has become a lot easier."

Robert Dow, from commuter advocacy group Rail Back on Track, said rorting of the go card system had been a concern for some time.

"The evidence is the high number of sales of go card, which was around 3000 a day in January," Mr Dow said.

"We think that's extraordinary and there needs to be some thought to increasing the minimum credit allowed, or they need to close the system down, remove paper (tickets) and use fare gates more widely."

TransLink may also need to look at the way unregistered go cards were sold, he said.

"In The Netherlands unregistered cards must have at least $25 ($20) on them before they will tag on. Once credit falls below this amount, you can't tag on again until the balance on the card is over $25 again."

According to latest patronage figures, an average of 150,000 people a month catch the Airtrain.

After a previous go card scam was revealed - in which commuters were failing to touch off because the $5 fine was less than the fare - the penalty for not touching off was increased to $10.

[ozbob]

Rort continues sadly ..

===============

Twitter

Robert Dow ‏@Robert_Dow

Statement: Labor's go card loophole fixed --> http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=9539.msg134044#msg134044 ... #qldpol no it hasn't, spin overload .. just reflects stalled patronage

[ozbob]

Media release 29th October 2013



SEQ: Go card data confirms ongoing fare failure in SEQ

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) a web based community support group for rail and public transport and an advocate for public transport passengers has said the latest go card 'rorting' data confirms the ongoing fare failure for public transport in SEQ.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"Despite a committment by Premier Newman in the January 2013 Six Month Action Plan of a new fare structure of public transport in SEQ we continue on with arguably one of the worlds most expensive and bizarre fare structures in use anywhere."

"The latest Statement by the Minister for Transport and Main Roads, namely, Labor's go card loophole fixed (1) just confirms the ongoing rorting and fare failure generally."

"My observations of using the go card on the Airtrain services have suggested that checking of touches at the airport has tightened up. However observations by members out on the network confirms that fare evasion is widespread.  In many cases people are not even bothering to touch on or off (2).

"Rorting will continue with the go card whilst the fare structure allows it.  Time to fix it and get base fares down, correct the rorting, drive patronage around the clock.  More of the same failure and continuing fare increases many times the CPI, wage and pension increases, is just going to worsen the already rock bottom fare affordability in SEQ."


References:

1.  http://statements.qld.gov.au/Statement/2013/10/29/labors-go-card-loophole-fixed

2.  http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=9539.msg133795#msg133795

Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track http://backontrack.org

[ozbob]

Heard the Deputy Mayor (Brisbane CC) state the other day that the most common feedback they receive concerning public transport relates to the unaffordability of fares ...

[ozbob]

Some feedback received, thanks!

I got off the train at Rosewood yesterday afternoon and there were about 6 people in front of me who just walked past the Go Card machine.  I logged off of course!  It is easy for some to just not get a ticket and hope the inspectors are not on your train.   I have not seen Inspectors on the trains on my last two trips to the City for appointments ...

Statistically, one of those passengers might have had a paper ticket, to think the rest did is testing credibility a little ... 

[ozbob]

Twitter

Pete Kell ‏@PeteFTD 2m

Hey @theqldpremier and @scottemersonmp, if you're concerned about rorting, why not fix this? #qldpol #farefailseq http://t.co/dlXqcRBuQP

[ozbob]

George St -->

[ozbob]

From the Queensland Times 30th October 2013 page 15

Go Cards loophole closed to cut rorts

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

2 November 2013

Credit where credit is due - the big issue remains ..

Greetings,

There are a number of very positive things starting to occur for public transport in SEQ.  The sector 2 rail timetables which commence on 20 January 2014 is wonderful news.

Springfield rail extension set to open on 2 December 2013, with bus changes for the Ipswich - Western Region aligned with that.

More bus changes lined up for  Moreton Bay region, Sunshine Coast, Logan - Southern, Redlands - Eastern, Gold Coast regions.

Gold Coast Light rail stage one on track for service implementation in 2014.  Exciting news that moves are underway to progress the connection of the light rail to the heavy rail, something that is essential to maximise the utility of the light rail system ( http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2013/11/01/460990_gold-coast-news.html ).  Well done Mr Emerson.

Announcement of a committee to examine future freight task with a view to getting more freight back on rail.  Essential to reduce trauma and damage to the road network.

Plenty of good news hey?

Sadly, fares remain as the one big stumbling block.  All acknowledge the present fare system is failing, patronage has stalled and TransLink's data confirms that affordability is the worst customer satisfaction KPI.

A more balanced approach to fares would see more people travelling around the clock.  This means more fares overall and reduced subsidies.

Time to swallow some pride and act decisively with the fares to support the other positive initiatives.

Best wishes
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track http://backontrack.org

Media release 29th October 2013



SEQ: Go card data confirms ongoing fare failure in SEQ

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) a web based community support group for rail and public transport and an advocate for public transport passengers has said the latest go card 'rorting' data confirms the ongoing fare failure for public transport in SEQ.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"Despite a committment by Premier Newman in the January 2013 Six Month Action Plan of a new fare structure of public transport in SEQ we continue on with arguably one of the worlds most expensive and bizarre fare structures in use anywhere."

"The latest Statement by the Minister for Transport and Main Roads, namely, Labor's go card loophole fixed (1) just confirms the ongoing rorting and fare failure generally."

"My observations of using the go card on the Airtrain services have suggested that checking of touches at the airport has tightened up. However observations by members out on the network confirms that fare evasion is widespread.  In many cases people are not even bothering to touch on or off (2).

"Rorting will continue with the go card whilst the fare structure allows it.  Time to fix it and get base fares down, correct the rorting, drive patronage around the clock.  More of the same failure and continuing fare increases many times the CPI, wage and pension increases, is just going to worsen the already rock bottom fare affordability in SEQ."


References:

1.  http://statements.qld.gov.au/Statement/2013/10/29/labors-go-card-loophole-fixed

2.  http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=9539.msg133795#msg133795

Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track http://backontrack.org

[ozbob]

^ Fairfax radio News have followed up.  Thanks for the interest!

[HappyTrainGuy]

I had to travel into South Brisbane on the 5:30 am train ex Sunnybank twice in two days recently. On both occasions there were four out of five detraining passengers at Southbank who did not "touch off". You can see this at almost any suburban train station with those in the early mornings (before Peak) probably the worst.

I have seen the same occurrence at Milton station and others as well.

Fare evasions at these stations are always going to happen because of their openness and proximity to the city/major points of interest. Apparently (can't confirm myself) there are a few people that board morning Nambour/Gympie-City services, jump off at Bowen Hills to tag on and then jump on the next train to the city because of the difficulty involved in checking tickets during the middle of peak hour which is why you can find random ticket checks frequently during peak hour at Milton, South Bank and Bowen Hills. It slows everybody from exiting but that's how they currently get around it.

[James]

Fare evasions at these stations are always going to happen because of their openness and proximity to the city/major points of interest. Apparently (can't confirm myself) there are a few people that board morning Nambour/Gympie-City services, jump off at Bowen Hills to tag on and then jump on the next train to the city because of the difficulty involved in checking tickets during the middle of peak hour which is why you can find random ticket checks frequently during peak hour at Milton, South Bank and Bowen Hills. It slows everybody from exiting but that's how they currently get around it.

People also simply get off at these stations and walk to their destination, not paying a thing. I've seen it numerous times when stopped at Loganlea station aboard GC trains. People just file past the go card reader and don't seem to touch off.

As I mentioned, the first way to start picking up on fare evaders is ditching paper. Then it becomes a lot more obvious who is fare evading and who isn't. Fare gates can then be installed - I'd target inner city hotspots first - that is, Dutton Park/Buranda to Albion/Windsor to Toowong (Milton needs gates, and might as well give them to Auchenflower in the process).

[ozbob]

Noted a team of SNOs and QPS checking touches/tickets at Goodna station yesterday afternoon peak.  Not a good score rate, my observations are that most peak travellers are ticketed.  The pax are originating mainly at gated stations.  Off peak is where the good kill rate is ...

[mufreight]

Got off the train at Central around 10am and went through the fare gates on the Edward Street side of the concourse and was tailgated through the barriers by two people who then waited while a further five of their mates tailgated other passengers through the barriers without touching off, could be wrong but I would think that there were 7 fare evaders in the few minutes that I waited alone, perhaps closer staffing might catch a few more and raise revenue sufficiently that no fare increase would be needed this time around.

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Courts to impose jail time on repeat fare evaders

[ozbob]

Onboard EMU80, ex Goodna down, 1 TO + 1 QPS working as a team checking tickets etc.  Good!

Yesterday evening, inbound on the Ippy line, 2 QPS escorted pax off train at Chelmer for ticketing history check etc.  Pax not able to produce a ticket ...

[freman]

I never see inspectors on the north side peak trains... which is awesome because it's cheaper to pay the $250 fine if you get caught monthly than it is to pay the fare over the same period of time...

[ozbob]

Twitter

Denis Napthine ‏@Vic_Premier 3m

Premier announces fare evasion across #Melbourne's #publictransport is at its lowest in five years.#SpringSt http://t.co/rlj2jAQa3i



================

^ No paper in Melbourne, myki only ...

[Stillwater]

Overheard conversation as two men prepared to alight train at Nambour yesterday:

Bloke 1:  You getting off here? 
Bloke 2:  Yeah
Bloke 1:  You got a go-card?
Bloke 2:  Yes, but it is getting pretty low.
Bloke 1:  Then, would you mind if I walked quickly behind you through the fare gate.
Bloke 2:  Nope.

And that is what they did.