Transit fare evasion in Sudbury prompts city to add security on the buses

To combat the loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars in transit fare revenue, Greater Sudbury is hiring two part-time municipal law enforcement officers to ride city buses.

Officials hope the added security will put a dent in the more than $400,000 transit has lost this year when people board the bus and don’t pay the fare.

Laura Gilbert, the Greater Sudbury's acting director of transit services, says transit ridership has reached new highs. (Alana Everson/CTV News)

The move comes as GOVA transit reports that ridership has reached an all-time high in Sudbury.

"Ridership has increased about 23 per cent from last year and 40 per cent since … 2019," said Laura Gilbert, the city's acting director of transit services.

"We are approximately six million at this stage and (are) forecasting around 6.2 million by the end of 2024."

Despite the rosy ridership numbers, not everyone boarding the bus is paying. For their own safety and passengers, drivers are told not to press the issue when someone doesn't pay.

But with fare evasion costing the transit system major dollars, the city is adding security.

"For this year we are at approximately $407,000 (in lost fare revenue), which accounts for four per cent of our overall transit revenue," said Gilbert.

In an email, the city said drivers only respond to certain incidents.

To combat the loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars in transit fare revenue, Greater Sudbury is hiring two part-time municipal law enforcement officers to ride city buses. (Alana Everson/CTV News)

"Officers will respond to onboard issues such as violent or aggressive behaviours, issues with narcotic use and other security concerns which will enhance the rider experience and improve the overall perception of safety for riders," the statement said.

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Gilbert said having additional officers riding buses will reduce fare evasion, along with a mobile response. The new security will be targeted where the problem is most severe.

"Fare evasion is tracked by route," she said.

"We do have our Top 4 routes with the highest fare evasion where we would start monitoring those areas to begin with."

While municipal law enforcement officers can issue a trespass to property notice for people caught riding the bus without paying, the city said the first step will be education.