Fare evasion (travelling without a valid ticket) is a serious problem affecting public transport worldwide. Not only does it cause significant revenue losses for transport operators, but also creates a feeling of unfairness and unease among paying passengers.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, reduced ticket inspections led to an increase in fare evasion rates at most transit networks.
Resuming traditional mass ticket controls, which require numerous interpersonal interactions, is probably a risky way to curve down this increasing fare evasion trend.
We propose an alternative solution using selective, surgically targeted controls.