Backgrounder: Increased Fare Enforcement Delivering Results

December 17, 2012

Fare evasion is theft. Like every business that suffers revenue loss when customers refuse to pay for products or services, so does TransLink when people try to ride the system for free.

New legislation went into effect in September 2012, giving TransLink powerful tools to enforce fare compliance on the transit system—people who don’t pay their fares face serious consequences.

• $173 fine that escalates by $100 if left unpaid after one year.
• Select Transit Security (General Investigation Officers) along with Transit Police, can issue fare infraction tickets, increasing our reach across the system.
• After 90 days, ICBC has the power to issue a “refusal to insure” (RTI) for outstanding accounts.
• Outstanding tickets can be sent to a collection agency, and an independent agency is now in place.

Legislation is working

Since the legislation has been in place, fare checks have increased but the number of infraction tickets issued has decreased. While it is still too early to claim any clear trends, the results show the legislation is working.

With people more aware of the tough new penalties, as well as increased fare enforcement on the system, the new legislation gives us the tools to get people to pay their fair share. 

What’s Next

We will continue to conduct random fare audits to assess the impact of the new legislation on fare evasion.  We are also currently installing faregates throughout the system which, together with the introduction of Compass in 2013, will provide a new physical and visual barrier to fare evasion.