Fare cheats to be fined $20 from July - Singapore
Harsher penalties for misusing concession cards too
By Hong Xinyi
FARE cheats could be in for one expensive ride from July 1, when new penalties imposed by the Public Transport Council (PTC) kick in.
Aimed at making fare evaders and those who misuse concession cards feel the pinch, the new penalties could help stem the $9 million in fares bus operators lose each year, according to 2005 statistics.
Commuters caught not paying or underpaying when using buses and trains will have to pay a penalty of $20, while those caught misusing concession cards - using stolen or expired cards, for example - will pay a penalty of $50.
The $20 penalty is about 10 times the maximum cash fare a person ordinarily would have paid.
Today, a commuter who avoids payment by not tapping his ez-link card at the entry reader when boarding a bus, or who underpays by tapping his ez-link card at the exit reader several bus stops before alighting, simply has to pay up the evaded fare.
The same goes for cash-paying commuters who intentionally pay for a shorter journey than they intend.
A SERIOUS PROBLEM
‘Transitlink had estimated earlier that there are 42,000 cases of fare evasion on public buses every day, translating to an annual figure of about $9 million. This is not a small sum and is unfair to the bulk of commuters who pay the correct fare.’
MS TAMMY TAN, vice-president of corporate communications for SBS Transit
A spokesman for the PTC said commuters who commit more serious offences, like using cards that have been tampered with or stolen, face a harsher penalty of $50.
Failing to pay the penalties can result in fines of up to $1,000 for the first offence, or $2,000 and up to six months in jail for repeat offences.
This is the first time that fare evasion penalties have been introduced for public buses. For trains, though, a fine of $50 has been in place for fare evasion since 1987, under the Rapid Transit Systems Act since 1987.
From July, the same penalties will now extend to both forms of public transport.
Imposing penalties on dishonest bus commuters was first proposed as an amendment to the Public Transport Council Act in 2005, when TransitLink estimated there were an estimated 42,000 cases of fare evasion on public buses every day.
For trains, there are an average of 105 cases of fare evasion every month, said a spokesman for SMRT.
Public transport operators SMRT and SBS Transit do not plan to increase the number of inspectors in order to catch out more cheating commuters.
The random spot checks they already do will continue, both said, adding that their inspectors also respond to alerts from drivers who spot dishonest passengers.
Said Ms Tammy Tan, vice-president of corporate communications for SBS Transit: ‘Fare evasion is, unfortunately, a serious problem in Singapore. This is unfair to the bulk of commuters who pay the correct fare.’
Source : Straits Times - 03 May 2008
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