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it is a real penalty. there's usually a fine as well. but for the sake of argument, an hour lost would mean being late to work, to an appointment, or to anothe
by clairity 7y ago
it is a real penalty. there's usually a fine as well.
but for the sake of argument, an hour lost would mean being late to work, to an appointment, or to another likely time-sensitive activity. additionally, there's the embarassment of being caught evading the fare (why is everyone staring? how do you explain your tardiness to family/friends/coworkers?). most people would avoid these penalties in and of themselves.
regardless, the penalty isn't what deters most fare evasion (or shoplifting) except at the margins. mostly, adherence (that is, paying fares) is due to social cohesion, self-image, and social responsibility.
that's why berlin, LA, and other transit systems have open transit gates. the cost of enforcement at the margins isn't worth it.
- clairity 7y agofurther, most people who fare-evade (or shoplift) do so because they're desperate. jail time doesn't deter behavior for those cases nor does enforcement provide additional revenue (couldn't pay in the first place). no need to punish such folks more with jail time because they're already being punished by circumstance. being detained and fined is more than enough additional punishment here.
- xyzzyz 7y ago> further, most people who fare-evade (or shoplift) do so because they're desperate. Next time you’re in the store in a less than perfectly clean and safe area, look at what kind of stuff is specially protected against shoplifting. In my experience, it’s usually washing liquid, shaving razors and hair products. Hardly the domain for the most desperate. You have quite a pollyanish view on society, where there are no wrongdoers: shoplifters never do this for profit, they are just desperate people forced by circumstance. This doesn’t match my experience.
- Scoundreller 7y agoVancouver spent some $200m on a gated fare system. Fare evasion was 5%, or about $4m per year on the pre-existing ungated rail-portion of the system. And certainly fare evasion didn't go to zero after the install. Not a great ROI.