GO Transit could introduce steep new penalties for fare evasion. These are the fines being proposed

Metrolinx could soon introduce steep new penalties for fare evaders, with the potential that some fines could see up to a six-fold increase.

Under the proposal, which still needs to be approved by Metrolinx’s board at a meeting later this week, staff are recommending across-the-board increases to all fine categories related to fare evasion.

If approved, the fine handed out for a first offence would jump from $35 to $200 while the fine for a second offence would go from $50 to $300, the fine for a third offence would quadruple from $100 to $400 and the fine four a fourth offence would be set at $500.

Habitual offenders would face progressively more significant penalties.

Under the new structure, those deemed to be committing fare evasion for a fifth time will receive a provincial offences notice with the maximum fine determined by the courts while those who have been fined six or more times will face a provincial summons with a fine of up to $1,000.

Staff say that the enhanced fines are expected to generate approximately $6.79 million to $10.18 million in additional revenue per year, based on the assumption that only about 40 to 60 per cent of the fines will actually be successfully collected on.

“Graduated penalties communicate proportionate consequences, signaling that repeated non-compliance will be met with escalating sanctions (administrative fees to PONs to summons). This clarity reduces ‘testing’ behaviour and encourages early compliance,” the report states.

The proposed fine structure comes in the wake of legislative changes rolled out by the Ford government in March that enabled the steeper penalties.

Metrolinx estimates that approximately 5 per cent of riders across its network last year did not pay their fares.