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Here’s why some people still evade public transport fares – even when they’re 50 cents (theconversation.com)

submitted 5 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

48 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Neither lowering fares or simply increasing enforcement can solve fare evasion alone. Investing in better services and winning public trust are just as important.

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I’m no expert on this topic, but I’ve previously read that when a thing is made free people stop valuing it.

I read that as well and had trouble finding it but this sounds about right:

Why not make the fares free in Queensland? One reason can be found in the experience of the Miami Beach Transportation Association in the United States. The Association launched free shuttle buses along the coastline. However, the lack of fares led to a diminished sense of responsibility for the upkeep and care of the transit system, ultimately negatively affecting both driver satisfaction and passenger experience. Whilst passenger numbers initially surged, studies show problem riders resulted in raised personal security concerns as transit crime increased. Examples include increased assault, damage, and theft for users, becoming a deterrent for both new and existing riders. An attempt to resolve these issues was introducing a $0.25 flat fare, leading problem riders to avoid the service. Consequently, these negative factors began to rapidly decline, such as vandalism decreasing by 90% whilst passenger numbers remained steady.

https://ninesquared.com.au/insights/nearly-free-fares/

[–] [email protected] 6 points 4 days ago

That makes sense, thanks for sharing. We tried fully free buses here for a while but scrapped it because it was super expensive (the way it worked was that the government paid the bus company for all the tickets - and they chose to write a new app you could use to claim these free bus tickets)

I didn't hear anything about crime or vandalism rising in this case. I wonder if the registration process was a deterrant; passengers still had to scan their tickets as they boarded, and getting one required identifying yourself.