More than 1500 people have been cautioned for fare evasion or inappropriate behaviour as part of a four-week safety operation targeted at key public transport locations.
The operation – part of the State Government’s broader ‘See It. Report it’ campaign – was a joint initiative between transport providers Wilson Security and South Australia Police across buses, trains and trams to address disorderly behaviour and fare evasion on routes with known hotspots.
These targeted routes and locations were also informed by passengers taking the opportunity to discreetly and anonymously use the QR codes installed on Adelaide Metro services to report incidences of poor behaviour, as part of the ‘See It. Report it’ campaign.
An additional 20 security officers interacted with thousands of customers throughout the four-week period, which included:
*24,110 ticket checks
*1,523 public transport users cautioned for fare evasion or inappropriate behaviour
*161 incidents referred to prosecutions for further consideration.
While the overwhelming majority of customers were doing the right thing by travelling with the correct fare and behaving appropriately, 161 incidents were referred for further action after people did not stop their behaviour or cooperate with staff.
The operation was well-received by passengers, transport operators and drivers, with further analysis currently being undertaken to enable Adelaide Metro to develop strategies to reduce incidents and best target enforcement and security resources to improve safety across the network.
This data comes in addition to staff reports, customer complaints and direct observations – which are all regularly shared with SA Police, security contractors and transport operators – to support efforts to address anti-social behaviour (including fare evasion).
We are allocating 200 new badges to better identify prescribed officers and support their enforcement and compliance activities.
Prescribed officers have the authority to request a passenger’s name and address, or surrender their ticket for inspection. They are empowered to direct a person to leave or not board a passenger service, with a failure to comply deemed an offence subject to an expiation fee of $160, with a maximum penalty of $1250.
An assault against a prescribed worker, which includes drivers and passenger service assistants, is an aggravated offence, which can lead to a penalty of up to five years in jail.
As part of the State Government’s commitment to bring train services back into public hands, an additional 23 passenger service assistants will be employed on Adelaide Metro trains.
The Government is working with rail operator Keolis Downer to implement this initiative as soon as possible.
This is in stark contrast to the former Marshall Liberal government, which sought to dramatically reduce the number of service roles – including vital security – under its failed rail privatisation model.
Efficiency measures mooted by the former government as part of initial negotiations towards outsourcing Adelaide’s train services would have seen a reduction in the number of Passenger Service Assistant roles on the network, from 93 to 63, in a bid to defray the costs for the potential contractor.
Under Labor, we are bolstering these roles, with a focus on passenger safety.
Public transport users are encouraged to continue to report any incident they see by scanning the QR codes displayed on board buses, trams and trains.
Over 1600 completed reports have been received since the ‘See it? Report it’ campaign launched late last year.
This online tool is not monitored in real time and passengers requiring urgent emergency assistance should continue to call 000 or 131 444 for non-urgent police help.
Passengers can also report an incident online at adelaidemetro.com.au or by calling the Adelaide Metro InfoLine on 1300 311 108 (open 7am-8pm daily).
As put by Tom Koutsantonis
While this four-week operation showed that over 90 per cent of our Adelaide Metro passengers do the right thing, there’s still a minority that undermine the integrity and comfort of our public transport system.
Every passenger deserves a safe journey and a fair go. We are committed to working in partnership with security providers, SA Police and transport operators to hold to account fare evaders and those engaging in disruptive behaviour.
People expecting a free ride should remember that failing to pay for their trip could see them fined an expiation fee of $160 along with a Victims of Crime Levy of $94. The same penalty applies for antisocial or offensive behaviour, while the penalty for graffitiing on public transport is $210 plus the Victims of Crime levy.
As part of the transition of rail services back into State Government hands, we’re also working with Keolis Downer to increase the security presence on our trains as soon as we can.
I encourage passengers to continue to support our efforts by reporting instances of fare evasion and bad behaviour they witness on public transport. It’s easy and anonymous – simply scan one of the QR codes that can be found on our buses, trains and trams.
We will continue to monitor this data, which will help target troublespots on our network.
