A crafty practice of fare evasion on TransLink bus services has closed with the aid of new Go Card software
March 29, 2011
New Go Card software has been installed to close a loophole in the card reader system which allowed passengers to immediately touch off at the back door if they had caught the wrong bus.
TransLink CEO Peter Strachan says some passengers abused this system and deliberately touched off at the rear door go card reader which allowed the passenger to avoid paying a fare.
“The new software means passengers wishing to touch off immediately after boarding a bus will now need to use the machine at the front of the bus, which will be in full view of the driver,” Strachan says.
Strachan says the new software solution had been implemented on all buses including school buses.
He says the enhancement to the Go Card system complemented other fare evasion strategies across the TransLink network such as the introduction of Senior Network Officers and fare gate closures at busy train stations.
“Fare gates have been introduced at nine train stations on the network this year and require paper ticket holders to show their ticket to a customer service representative who open the gate to let the customer through,” he says.
“The changes to fare gates at Central station alone have increased fare revenue by more than $40,000 per week or about $2 million a year.
“This is money which can now be put back into public transport and invested in new TransLink bus, train and ferry services.”
Strachan says fare evasion in southern Queensland costs about $18 million a year.
He says changes to Go Card readers on buses were designed to catch a minority attempting to rort the system.