Lilydale station the hotspot for busting bus fare evaders

Thousands of Victorians are busted trying to hitch a free ride on public transport every year. Now, the stops and train lines where inspectors catch the most people have been revealed.

More fare evaders were caught getting off buses in Melbourne's outer east than anywhere else.

Melbourne’s outer eastern suburbs have the most fare evaders in the state, with sneaky passengers hitching free rides — mainly on buses — costing the government millions.

About one in seven people who hopped on a bus that stopped at Lilydale train station in October 2024 did not touch on, according to the latest Victorian fare evasion data.

A four week investigation during this period estimated 14 per cent of passengers on Lilydale train station buses fare evaded — more than triple the amount recorded at this stop in May.

Likewise 7.5 per cent of passengers on buses that stopped at Sunshine, Frankston and Broadmeadows train stations jumped on without a ticket.

Passengers on buses like the 542 that stop at Broadmeadows train station were among those who fare evaded the most. Picture: George Salpigtidis

Nearly twice as many people were caught travelling with “no ticket” on a bus than a tram and stingy bus riders were also most likely to do a “runner”.

More than 10,300 tickets were checked from 2796 Melbourne bus services during October, of which five per cent of people (or 529) had not touched on.

Several train stations do not let commuters in or out unless they have touched on Picture: NCA NewsWire / Luis Enrique Ascui

A full-fare round trip costs Victorian adults as much as $11 a day, and $5.50 for students, after a price increase at the start of the year.

Adult fare dodgers are fined $296 while children are slapped with $99 penalties, with unpaid fines for adults blowing out to $533 if outstanding for more than 10 weeks.

The fare compliance survey, conducted twice a year by the Department of Transport, revealed the government lost more than $28m from fare evaders last year — a $6m increase from the year before.

If everyone paid the full-fare penalty, more than $375,000 would have been raised in fines for the month — the equivalent of $4.5m a year.

But according to the department’s 2023/24 annual report, $11.6m was raised from statutory fines on train services alone.

Across all passengers surveyed last October, almost 1300 were caught dodging a myki charge.

Train commuters had a better compliance rate when it came to touching on, with nearly 97 per cent of passengers doing so.

Major stations like Flinders St, Richmond and Box Hill have ticket barriers, requiring passengers to touch on or off before being allowed through — unlike buses and trams.

But these do not stop people who attempt to trick the system, with the Mernda/Hurstbridge and Werribee lines having the most fare evaders last year on Melbourne’s trains.

The most common time for fare evading on trains was between evening peak times, with morning peak commuters the best behaved.

On the tram network it was estimated those coming from the Preston depot had the most fare evaders.

Regionally, it was Gippsland where V/Line inspectors picked up the most fare evaders, with nearly 7 per cent of passengers riding without a ticket.

The Department of Transport was contacted for comment.