New strategy to combat fare evasion after audit identifies weak links

While Translink has yet to recalculate the amount of revenue lost under 50¢ fares, it has vowed to continue its work on fare evasion and noted that officers also had an important safety and security role.

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“Translink has an existing fare evasion policy, with the audit referring to a broader strategy that will be updated as part of the response to the introduction of 50¢ fares,” Translink told this masthead in a statement.

Translink will consider more sophisticated software solutions, such as door counting technology and artificial intelligence, to improve data collection and analysis. However, the lower lost revenue figure will ultimately determine the value in spending any more money on the problem.

The introduction of 50¢ fares, now made permanent with bipartisan support, was intended to ease cost-of-living pressures, with any boost to patronage or reduction in car usage considered a secondary benefit. The plan for a six-month trial was abandoned.