Free-loading fare evaders face tough new laws

EXCLUSIVE: COMMUTERS who repeatedly refuse to pay their way on public transport would face jail under new laws to be considered by the State Government.

COMMUTERS who repeatedly refuse to pay their way on public transport would face jail under new laws to be considered by the State Government.

A UK-style crackdown on repeat fare evaders is being assessed by the Department of Transport, which will provide options for changes to the ­ticket infringement system within months.

Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan has backed sending a strong message to freeloaders, saying she will take a “close look” at whether to introduce criminal penalties.

The Government will also consider whether the $223 fare evasion fine should be increased for commuters who are caught without a ticket more than once.

Public Transport Users Association spokesman Daniel Bowen said it was worth “trying different strategies” but the Government needed to figure out how to catch repeat offenders. The current $75 on-the-spot fine — which will be scrapped next year — is issued anonymously so inspectors cannot track a commuter’s history of fare evasion.

“It’s fine to talk tough about strong penalties but it has little impact if they’re not getting caught,” Mr Bowen said. “The Government needs to get smarter about how they detect repeat fare evaders.”

Recidivist freeloaders are responsible for 68 per cent of the revenue lost from fare evasion — at a cost of $54 million — but they make up just 1.7 per cent of Melbourne’s population. Currently, commuters can be caught 20 times a year and still pay less in fines than the cost of a yearly pass. In London, significant repeat fare evasion can be punished under fraud laws and attract a year behind bars.

A review of myki fines by the Victorian Ombudsman found targeting one-off or “accidental” fare evasion was unfair and not cost effective.

Public Transport Users Association spokesman Daniel Bowen.

In response, Ms Allan scrapped on-the-spot fines but said serious offending would be targeted.

“I know it’s in place in London,” Ms Allan said. “It sends a really strong message to those repeat and consistent fare evaders that we are not going to let them off the hook.”

Mr Bowen said jail would be “a very extreme measure”.

Opposition transport spokesman David Hodgett said the Government needed to focus on ways to improve myki as the system contract is up for renewal.

“Commuters don’t want to hear about how they’ll be fined, they want to know what Daniel Andrews will demand when recontracting the system to fix it,” Mr Hodgett said.

[e-mail]

Originally published as Free-loading fare evaders face tough new laws