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THEY have many ways to dodge paying fares. And they don't give a hoot who picks up the bill - honest commuters, bus company shareholders, or bus captains who fail to earn merit points by not confiscating misused cards.
The fare cheats fall into three groups:
SKIMMERS
Makes up 70 per cent of total fare evasion cases
Some pay in cash but pay less than fare stated for distance travelled
Those who use ez-link cards tap card on boarding and then immediately at exit card reader, but alight at bus stop further down the road
FREE RIDERS
Makes up 24 per cent of total fare evasion cases
Deliberately do not tap ez-link card when boarding or alighting bus
MISUSERS
Makes up 6 per cent of total fare evasion cases
Commuter uses concession card belonging to someone else
Concession privileges benefit eligible bonafide users - eg students - and are subsidised by full-fare-paying commuters
Those who misuse card penalises full-fare-paying commuters
This story was first published in The New Paper on 21 April 2008.
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