Fare Evasion: A Common Challenge in Public Transport
Navigating the complexities of fare evasion, ranging from accidental oversights to deliberate crimes, is an ongoing challenge transport agencies worldwide tackle daily. This issue encompasses a wide spectrum of scenarios, posing unique challenges and necessitating distinct responses from transport authorities. Contactless EMV could be one of your answers. EMV stands for Europay, Mastercard, and Visa – the global standard for secure, chip-based payments. But what can this technology do to reduce fare evasion in public transport?
The Solution to Each Fare Evasion Type
Accidental Fare Evasion Type Solution: Simplifying mobility / simplifying the payment process
Public transport systems can be confusing, especially for occasional passengers. Complex fare structures often lead to accidental non-payment or incorrect ticket purchases. With EMV contactless payments, passengers can tap their bank card or mobile wallet to pay - no need to navigate complicated fare rules or top-up transit cards. This is a win for mobility inclusivity and ensures user-friendly public transport systems.
Opportunistic Fare Evasion Type Solution: Leveraging data-driven insights
Some riders try to outsmart the system by tapping out one stop before a fare zone boundary to pay less while travelling further. Electronic payments, including EMV, generate anonymized travel data, allowing #PTOs and #PTAs to identify patterns and adjust enforcement strategies. With this data-driven approach, repeat offenders can be flagged, warned, or even have their card/account blocked.
Fare Evasion Type: Intentional Solution: Making the paper ticket counterfeiting a thing of the past / phasing out counterfeits for secure mobility
Despite digital advancements, paper tickets remain widely used. But they are easily counterfeited, shared, or manipulated, creating loopholes for fare evasion. Transitioning to EMV payments helps reduce reliance on paper tickets and closes the door on fraudulent travel, ensuring a more secure, efficient system. The digital era is transforming urban mobility, and open-loop payments, like EMV, provide a modern, efficient and secure way to pay. By reducing fare evasion, authorities can reinvent public transport and reinvest in better services, creating a more sustainable and accessible travel experience.
