$20 Penalty for no Ticket/Tagging on Trains

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21brandon21

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#115763 5-Apr-2013 19:38

Just saw a message on the trains this week saying you'll get a penalty of $20 if you don't get a ticket or forget to sign on with your card. That's pretty harsh isn't it? It was $10 before and it's doubled.

If you're in a rush and your train arrives and you can't get a ticket you have no choice but to hop on or have a brain fade and forget to tag on. $20 imo is pretty steep for a $1.60-$4 train ride. I even rang them up today to discuss this and they said they're going to be putting it up even more.

Excessive penalty don't you think?

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#794032 5-Apr-2013 19:42

The fine should be at least double the amount you would save from not buying tickets.

eg. If 10% risk of being caught + ticket = $2, then fine should be $40

What is the average ticket price, and what do you think is the average chance of being caught?

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sbiddle

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#794035 5-Apr-2013 19:48

The fee is pretty much a joke. $20 is peanuts when you can ride for free with no ticket, there really needs to be a law change to enable fines for fare evasion. Cities like Melbourne and Sydney charge around $200 for fare evasion and this is enforced pretty heavily.

ajobbins

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#794037 5-Apr-2013 19:51

Yep $180 here in Melbourne and its heavily enforced

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vexxxboy

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#794038 5-Apr-2013 19:51

try riding without a ticket on the underground in London, it's an 80 pound fine , so $20 doesn't seem that bad

Common sense is not as common as you think.

code15

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#794050 5-Apr-2013 20:06

kiwijunglist: The fine should be at least double the amount you would save from not buying tickets.

eg. If 10% risk of being caught + ticket = $2, then fine should be $40

What is the average ticket price, and what do you think is the average chance of being caught?

100% chance if your last stop is Britomart!

knoydart

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#794059 5-Apr-2013 20:15

AT hands are tied by the Government. They have not passed the legislation required for the fines to be larger in time and the MoT seemingly not getting things moving. If you want to see an interesting way of checking tickets try Sweden. They stop the trams, flood the carriages with inspectors and have police on standby. Fines are more than monthly tickets.

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code15

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#794063 5-Apr-2013 20:30

The difference is that the Auckland platforms are not controlled i.e no turnstiles. In other cities, like Hong Kong or New York, it's impossible to board without buying a ticket/tagging on, as that's the only way you can get onto the platform.

I'm all for a penalty fee to stop people scamming the system, but $20 seems a bit unfair if you genuinely forget to tag on (I nearly forgot today running to the train).

josephhinvest

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#794066 5-Apr-2013 20:35

The penalty has just recently been increased, was previously $10.30, which is the maximum fare.
I personally think the $20 penalty is still too low, it's not enough of a disincentive to people that travel for free.
It's amazing how many people I see not tagging off when leaving the platform. Sure, some of those will have paper tickets, and not need to tag off, but mostly it's likely looking people that aren't paying.

Cheers,
Joseph

josephhinvest

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#794067 5-Apr-2013 20:36

code15:
kiwijunglist: The fine should be at least double the amount you would save from not buying tickets.

eg. If 10% risk of being caught + ticket = $2, then fine should be $40

What is the average ticket price, and what do you think is the average chance of being caught?

100% chance if your last stop is Britomart!

Yep, or Newmarket. I believe New Lynn is on the list of platforms to be gated also.

Cheers,
Joseph

knoydart

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#794068 5-Apr-2013 20:38

From what I hear, the roaming inspectors need to roam some more. Along with a substantial increase in the failure to tag on. At the end of the day, the cost of gating more than a couple of the busy stations outweighs the returns, but the roaming inspectors with increased powers should help with the deterrent.

DravidDavid

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#794096 5-Apr-2013 21:30

What I think is retarded is having to tag on and off with a month pass, then getting penalized if you don't.

It would be better if the fat controller came up and scanned you on demand to check that the month pass was valid and move on. Rather than get penalized for not tagging on and off.

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bazzer

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#794110 5-Apr-2013 21:53

code15: ... but $20 seems a bit unfair if you genuinely forget to tag on...

To me these statements seem at odds. If it were really unfair, you wouldn't forget to tag on.

mentalinc

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#794167 6-Apr-2013 06:55

The problem here is if you're a normal user pay to tag on forget to tag off it charges you $20.

The system knows exactly where you got on the train. At most it should charge you whatever the fare is to the end of the line in the direction you're travelling.
When the train changes direction all rider on that train who have yet to tag off should be automatically tagged off at that terminating station and charged to appropriate fare.

I agree for fare evasion (which is completely different, boarding a train with no intention to pay compared to forgetting to tag off) $20 would be a good investment. only need to get caught every third day and for some of the longer commutes and you would be making money.

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#794170 6-Apr-2013 07:58

What do you do when you rush to catch the last train out of britomart, the ticket booths are closed and no one comes around on the train to take your money?

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Cambo

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#794836 8-Apr-2013 09:04

IMO there should be fines (or a kick up the backside) for the people who get on the bus/train, put their bag/handbag/backpack on the ground, unzip it, rummage around for coins/ticket/purse/wallet, open wallet/purse, give ticket/coins/$50 note to the driver/ticket collecter, receives receipt/change, puts coins/receipt in wallet, bends down and puts wallet/purse in bag/handbag/backpack, zips/fastens their bag, then goes to find a seat.
All while people behind are waiting, cash/ticket in hand.

And that person was probably waiting for the bus/train for at least 5 minutes anyway!

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