TransLink cracking down on fare cheats, hoping to discourage $5M in evasion

TransLink suspects staff error is to blame for an issue that closed all fare gates for around 20 minutes Friday. April 1, 2016. (CTV)

Faced with a massive funding gap, TransLink has launched a crackdown on fare cheats – an effort the company hopes will prevent $5 million in fare evasion annually.

During the enforcement blitz, passengers can expect to see more "high-visibility" fare patrols both on transit vehicles and at transit hubs, TransLink said in a news release Tuesday.

Fare evaders can face a $173 ticket if caught.

"Transit fares are an integral part of how we pay for transit services in Metro Vancouver," TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn said in a statement.

"It’s unfair that some customers who are able to pay are choosing not to, and this undermines our finances and our ability to operate the transit system."

Free or subsidized transit passes are available for those in need through the B.C. Bus Pass Program, and additional charitable organizations such as the Homeless Services Association of B.C.

TransLink said the new crackdown is already underway, with help from eight new security officers.

Security checked more than 100,000 passengers in July, a 60 per cent increase compared to the same month last year, according to the company. Patrols will "continue to ramp up in the coming months," with at alternating enforcement locations, TransLink said.

The blitz is part of TransLink's previously announced "cost-efficiency measures," which have included laying off staff and decreasing reliance on third-party contractors.

Prior to the cost-cutting, the company said it was expecting to face an annual funding gap of more than $600 million once provincial relief dries up at the end of 2025.

When it comes to fare evasion, TransLink told CTV News it is not focused on generating revenue from fines, but through increased "payment compliance."

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Ben Nesbit