Fare evasion in New South Wales has decreased since 2012, the latest survey results show
The introduction of 65 new transport officers across the New South Wales public transport network has seen fare evasion fall across the rail and ferry networks.
The latest survey by the Bureau of Transport Statistics reveals fare evasion across the rail network has fallen by 2.1 per cent since 2012 and fare evasion on ferries has decreased by 2 per cent.
Buses were not included in the most recent survey as the Opal card rollout was underway during the survey period.
The survey, taken in November 2014, shows the results saved NSW taxpayers $24 million last year in lost ticket revenue, compared to 2012.
The results come as the first of 65 new Transport Officers begin work across the public transport network, checking tickets and helping customers on trains, buses, ferries and light rail.
Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Andrew Constance says: “we aren’t going to cop people trying to get a free ride, when the majority of customers are doing the right thing”.
“The more we recoup from the fares, the more services we can provide for everyone.”
One hundred and fifty transport officers already work across the network with another 65 currently joining the ranks, bringing the total to 215 by the end of October.
Since their inception transport officers have issued more than 190,000 fines and cautions.
While overall results were a strong improvement there are still some areas of concern.
“While fare evasion fell on the Western Line there are still too many customers not doing the right thing. It was also disappointing to see fare evasion increasing across most NSW TrainLink services,” Constance says.
“We’ll be making these priority areas for our transport officers to tackle over the coming months to make sure people who travel without a valid ticket are caught.”