OPINION

Tap off: Why Melbourne’s public transport system doesn’t need ticket cops

You haven’t truly experienced Melbourne until you’ve had an unsavoury experience with a public transport ticket inspector.

Known as authorised officers, they’re a part of the fabric of the city, patrolling the network to ensure you pay the fare. They’re dressed in a SWAT-like outfit, donning black vests, cargo pants, and hard boots. They have a holster strapped onto their belt (to carry a card reader). Their demeanour is typically stern, and they always congregate in groups. Even when they’re patrolling undercover – where they trade in their black vests for oversized black hoodies – they’re as easy to spot as a horse in a haystack.

Their appearance and attitude could easily lead you to believe that they’re police officers, which is probably not a coincidence, and it’s long been felt by many Melburnians that this new generation of fare cops is a calculated, cheap tactic by the Victorian government to stop evasion through intimidation.

Earlier this month, a Melbourne teenager created a fake Public Transport Victoria poster that was plastered across a number of public transport stops that read, “Don’t touch your Myki on or off. Authorised officers are violent thugs that target minorities. Fines are only a punishment for being poor. Refuse to pay. They can’t fine us all.”

The allegation that authorised officers discriminate against minorities and poor people struck a nerve across the city. Hundreds of people commented on this masthead’s social media accounts to share similar experiences, many of whom were young students and/or minorities.

Having lived in Melbourne all my life, I have been an unintentional fare evader. I was 19 years old when I cried at Melbourne Central Station in front of a gaggle of authorised officers, trying to explain my situation. I was running late for university and after touching off, four officers approached me. Their tone was immediately harsh as I dug around my backpack for my laminated concession card, to no avail. They began writing a fine of $288 as I begged, pleaded, and offered up proof that I was a student. At the time, I couldn’t afford a takeaway coffee, let alone a fine.

My tears developed into a panic attack and an onlooker watching said, “run, they can’t chase you”. I cried some more and tried to push past them, but two of the inspectors used their bodies to stop me. After 15 minutes of embarrassment, they let me go. The entire experience was demoralising; authorised officers in Melbourne have a special way of making you feel like you’ve committed a crime worthy of jail time, even when you haven’t, or genuinely haven’t meant to.

According to a 2016 study led by Professor Graham Currie, a public transport researcher at Monash University, that looked into the psychology of fare evasion, there are four types of fare evaders: accidental evaders, “it’s not my fault” evaders, calculated risk-taking evaders, and career evaders.

Though I was an “it’s not my fault” evader, we’ve all seen the accidental. They might forget to touch on when they jump on a tram, or can’t touch on before the train doors close. Then, a deep feeling of embarrassment when they’re stopped by officers, who ignore requests to rectify the situation. Do these people, usually someone late for work or not a tourist not realising they left the free tram zone one stop earlier, really deserve a $288 fine?

Most of the revenue lost in Victoria due to fare evasion comes from the career evaders, who were the smallest group of the four. These people were found to be typically wealthy and chose to evade for the challenge rather than being unable to afford the ride. Of this group, Currie said, “We’ve got this archetypal, old view that it’s a young person or a drop-out that’s doing bad stuff. No, that’s not what’s going on.”

What is going on, though, is that despite research showing the majority of fare evaders not having criminal intent, they are still being treated as though they do by the Victorian government’s authorised officers.

The findings of Currie’s research, which was commissioned by PTV, saw in an increase in the number of authorised officers patrolling the public transport network, and posters around the city that showed an inspector alongside the slogan: “If you’re worried about being caught freeloading, you should be.” Together, the research, advertising and increase in officers has led to a decrease in fare evasion.

I don’t endorse fare evading – I think paying for a service is fair, so long as it’s worth the cost. But it’s safe to say many Melburnians believe two things: Myki is deeply flawed, and officers are too harsh.

I can respect that authorised officers are merely doing their jobs and making a living. However, we should be criticising the system they work under, which seems to resort to public shame tactics and humiliation rather than education, and the way in which they are trained to do their job.

Now that I’m older, I doubt I’d cry in the same situation. But as a young woman, did I deserve to be treated like that when I was just trying to get from A to B and made a genuine mistake by not having my concession card in my backpack?

Myki fines feel like a punishment for a system that is frustrating and difficult to use. So why is the majority still being punished for the bad behaviour of a wealthy minority who get their kicks from flirting with danger?

  • 50MYT
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    8 months ago

    Fuck these goons.

    My mum came to visit Melbourne a few years ago, she knew how to use her Miki and beeped on the tram where she needed to.

    She got off the tram and they were waiting undercover. She thought she was getting robbed when one of them went to grab her arm and she elbowed him hard before he could identify haha. He fell, and got mad both she walloped him and that she had a valid beeped on card.

    She still talks about the encounter.

    • Jumuta@sh.itjust.works
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      8 months ago

      now you’re getting the even less privileged people with no transit access to pay for the PT through taxes, good job

      realistically though, it’s not like the government is going to increase PT funding to make up for the people not paying. It would be nice but it won’t happen because of carbrains

      • MĂŒThyme@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        I never made anyone pay for it. Tax the wealthy, tax the fossil fuel companies or tax the car owners or something.

        No system is going to be perfect, but the current system just takes the same money and keeps it for profit rather than say, extending the coverage of public transport to the less advantaged who need it.

        I know things won’t change, that we can’t have the perfect and just system we deserve, but I reserve every right to be pissed that the current system is broken in the name of profit.

        • Jumuta@sh.itjust.works
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          8 months ago

          Tax the wealthy, tax the fossil fuel companies or tax the car owners or something.

          sure that would be nice but we both know this isn’t happening in Australia lmao

          I agree with the extending coverage stuff though, the geelong, tarneit, bacchus marsh, etc all desperately need to be electrified for usable commuting services, and the bus network definitely needs an overhaul. Have you seen the frequency on some of the 90x buses?

          • MĂŒThyme@lemmy.world
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            8 months ago

            Only the 905 and 907 which seem to account for 90% of the buses that pull up to my stop in the CBD

  • Norah - She/They@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    8 months ago

    In case you didn’t know, the readers beep twice for Concession users so they can target you.

    I’m in my 20s and use a cane because of a chronic health issue. Had one of these chucklefucks stop me with the line “Just because you’re using that stick, doesn’t mean I don’t still have to see your concession card.” It was like he thought I was using it to fare evade? Have also had more than one try and convince me that showing them the card in the Centrelink app isn’t legal ID.

    • Baku
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      8 months ago

      There’s also an orange light on the barrier readers that lights up if you’re on a concession fare too

      I’m 16 so still have a child Myki, but I’m fairly tall and have a deep voice and every few weeks or so I stumble across one who’s just camping at the gates waiting for the orange flash. According to their sign, because I’m under 17 I don’t even need to carry a concession card, which I so badly want to abuse just for the shits and giggs

      It’s been happening since I first started taking the train 4 years ago. They never let up, and they’re always such dicks about it

      • Norah - She/They@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        8 months ago

        More than a decade ago, and before some life-saving hormones, I was in the exact same position as you. All they care about is making people feel small.

        Seriously, what kind of loser gets a job as a ticket inspector, all so they can wield that small amount of power over people? I’d call them cunts, but they lack the warmth and depth for that.

  • Quokka@quokk.au
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    8 months ago

    How much do we waste on PSOs compared to lost revenue in fares?

  • melbaboutown
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    8 months ago

    I got the same intimidation treatment from a man twice my size because their shitty scanner simply failed to scan in cold weather. Scumbags.

    Edit: I got the fine wiped because it had happened to so many other people and it was a first “offence”. However I was still publically disrespected and treated like a liar. In front of my date who was waiting for me at the other side of the gates.

  • ky56
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    8 months ago

    The question should be why the hell is there even a ticketing system. Can you imagine how much money the government would save by eliminating the private company running the opal system (who have their own costs of servicing the boom gates), ticket inspectors and maybe even encouraging more people to use public transport by the lower friction of use.

  • threeduck
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    8 months ago

    I don’t mind paying for public transport, but $4.50 or whatever it is 1 way is a rip. If my flat of four went out for a night, that’s $36 there and back, at that point just get a private uber.

    It’s a public good, pay for it with public taxes. If everyone’s tax dollars are going into it, I’m sure it’d attract more usage. Less traffic, less pollution, what’s not to like?

  • guidedlight@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    One of my first experiences on Melbourne’s public transport, so getting on a tram with money for a Metcard. Once on the tram, I tried to use the machine but it didn’t take notes. A pair of authorised officers were watching, and then proceeded to fine me, saying there is a sign on the door saying ‘coins only’.