Auckland-based ACT MP Parmjeet Parmar claims a “blind eye” is being turned to people who refuse to pay fares on public transport – and the practice, she says, is leading to violence and antisocial behaviour.
However, Auckland Transport (AT) rejects the accusation of tacitly allowing a “travel-for-free” policy for fare dodgers.
Attention is on public transport today as Paywave and other methods of contactless payment are being enabled across the city’s buses, trains and ferries from this morning – a first for any city in New Zealand.
“Antisocial fare dodgers discourage Aucklanders from using public transport,” Parmar said. “They deprive AT of revenue and load costs onto rule-abiding ratepayers. They are threatening, stealing from, and assaulting bus drivers and passengers,” she said, in a media release.
“In September, I met with a bus driver seriously assaulted by fare dodgers and relayed his concerns to AT. Since then, I have been told by a bus contractor that AT has been repeatedly warned that its lax policy on fare dodging is leading to violence. [...]
“When we turn a blind eye to repeated fare-dodging, we send a message that rules – and basic respect – don’t matter. Is it any wonder this then leads to violence?”
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“We shouldn’t expect bus drivers to be responsible for dealing with fare dodgers. AT needs to take responsibility for a culture it has created that invites free riders to take advantage of the rest of us” – Parmar
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