Public transport fare evaders fall into three categories, Monash University research finds

THERE are three types of public transport fare evaders and it’s costing Melbourne commuters millions, a new study reveals. The ones who deliberately don’t pay are the smallest group but cost us all the most.

PUBLIC transport fare evaders fall into three distinct categories, with the deliberate ticket dodging costing millions of dollars of year, a worldwide study by Monash University researchers has found.

Other types are accidental fare evaders who don’t intend to dodge the system and people who are quick to avoid paying for their trip because of problems with getting a ticket.

Faulty ticket machines, overcrowding, and short-distance journeys were some of the excuses of the “unintentional” fare evader who usually did the right thing.

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Researchers Dr Alexa Delbosc and Professor Graham Currie from Monash’s civil engineering department found that “deliberate’’ fare evaders did so if the benefits outweighed the risks.

“Despite making up the lowest percentage of the market, our study in Melbourne found that ‘deliberate’ fare evaders are responsible for the majority of fare evasion trips and, by extension, foregone revenue,” Dr Delbosc said.

“Deliberate fare evaders are small in number but big in impact.

“Some do it out desperation in that they can’t afford the fare, and some of them do it because they don’t think it’s worth paying.

“They may play a mental game that ‘well, I’m only going a few stops and so why not?’

“And some do the maths and think they’re not going to get caught very often so it’s not worth paying.’’

Dr Delbosc said “unintentional’’ evaders were on the fence.

“They want to pay their way but are relatively quick to fare evade if ticketing is made too difficult. Every barrier to easy ticketing — such as complex fare structures, long ticket queues or difficulty ‘topping up’ their smartcard — provides a potential excuse to fare evade in the minds of this group of people.”

Latest data from Public Transport Victoria showed that fare compliance of train, tram and bus passengers was 95.3 per cent. Bus travellers were more likely to avoid paying for their ride.

The research covered several countries in South, Central and North America as well as Europe and Australia.

Fare evasion was viewed differently in certain cultures.

“There are some countries, especially in Latin America, where it is just endemic,’’ Dr Delbosc said.

The cost to transport operators was ultimately paid by all passengers, she said.

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@IanRoyall