Thousands of fare evaders denied bus rides since crackdown began in September

Thousands of would-be bus passengers have been turned away since September, when the city started cracking down on people who don’t pay.

Since then, 7,614 people were either denied rides (4,944) or they walked away before being prompted to pay, the city said Wednesday.

The city said 931 warnings have been issued and that 359 riders paid after being asked. The warnings were issued by transit safety officers for fare-related issues.

Winnipeg Transit inspectors have made more than 6,800 fare checks since September, and safety officers have spent more than 1,400 hours enforcing issues.

The Winnipeg Police Service said on Nov. 6 that its officers have made nine arrests under the Criminal Code and intervened in 41 fare-evasion incidents since it began placing more of its officers on and around buses in September.

“These numbers, after just two months, show that this community safety officer team is needed. They’re doing good work,” Mayor Scott Gillingham said.

“And the goal, ultimately, of the fare enforcement is twofold. One, to make the buses safer for riders and drivers, and, two, to recoup some of the fare that hasn’t been paid in previous years.”

Gillingham pointed out that the transit union has said 90 per cent of the assaults that happen to bus drivers and passengers are committed by people who do not pay.

“I believe this is making our buses safer. The fare enforcement is making our buses safer,” the mayor said.

Winnipeg Transit is launching a fare-education campaign in the coming weeks, and all buses will start playing an audio message reminding passengers to have their fare ready before boarding.

“Our community safety officers and transit inspectors can’t be at every bus stop, all across the city, at once,” Gillingham said.

The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1505 said the early results on enforcement efforts mark an important first step.

“This is something we have been advocating for for a long time,” vice-president Derek Hanley said.

Hanley said the union has long believed Winnipeg Transit was losing $6 million to $10 million to fare evasion annually. Enforcement will help determine whether those estimates were accurate.

“The simple fact they did 4,944 denied rides — it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to do the math and see that’s a lot of money,” he said. “It’s about $16,000 in just that small portion of enforcement. And those are the people that actually got on buses where the enforcement was being done.”

Hanley said bus drivers are “cautiously optimistic” that their job will become safer.

“They know someone is going to have their back,” he said. “And that makes them feel pretty good, considering for the longest time, they’ve kind of, like I’ve said before, been out there as stagecoach drivers without a six-shooter to be able to help themselves.”

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca