Measuring and Managing Fare Evasion (2022)

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2022 T R A N S I T C O O P E R A T I V E R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M TCRP RESEARCH REPORT 234 Research sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration in cooperation with the American Public Transportation Association Subject Areas Public Transportation • Security and Emergencies • Society Measuring and Managing Fare Evasion Laura Wolfgram Cyndy Pollan Kirstie Hostetter Amy Martin Four Nines Technologies Corte Madera, CA Tina Spencer NWC Partners Kensington, CA Scott Rodda Virginkar and Associates, Inc. Fullerton, CA Andrew Amey Amey Consulting, LLC Seattle, WA

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C O O P E R A T I V E R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M S AUTHOR ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The research reported herein was performed under TCRP Project A-45 by Four Nines Technologies, with support from NWC Partners, Virginkar and Associates, Inc., and Amey Consulting, LLC. Laura Wolfgram, who leads Four Nines Technologies’ Fare Policy Practice, served as the principal investigator. The other authors of this report include Cyndy Pollan, Kirstie Hostetter, and Amy Martin of Four Nines Technologies and Andrew Amey of Amey Consulting, LLC. (Ms. Hostetter has since left Four Nines to become a transit planner for the city of Boston.) Editing and formatting assistance was provided by Liz Malliris of Words by Malliris. Collaboration and technical expertise were also provided by Tina Spencer of NWC Partners, on the topics of civil rights and social justice, and Scott Rodda of Virginkar and Associates, Inc., regarding fare collection technology. The authors would like to convey special thanks to the transit agencies that participated in the surveys and shared details of their fare enforcement programs, providing valuable insights that informed our drafting of this report and the case studies in Appendix A. CRP STAFF FOR TCRP RESEARCH REPORT 234 Christopher J. Hedges, Director, Cooperative Research Programs Waseem Dekelbab, Deputy Director, Cooperative Research Programs Gwen Chisholm Smith, Manager, Transit Cooperative Research Program Stephan A. Parker, Senior Program Officer Stephanie L. Campbell-Chamberlain, Senior Program Assistant Natalie Barnes, Director of Publications Heather DiAngelis, Associate Director of Publications Janet M. McNaughton, Senior Editor TCRP PROJECT A-45 PANEL Field of Operations Laura Hester, New Jersey Transit, Newark, NJ (Chair) Matt Broughton, Metro Transit, Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Minneapolis, MN Julie Karen Fernandez, Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Houston, TX Kevin Gaddis, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, Washington, DC Dawn Jackson-Perkins, LA County Metro Transportation Authority, Los Angeles, CA Lori A. Mimms, King County Metro Transit, Seattle, WA Laurel Paget-Seekins, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, Boston, MA Alla V. Reddy, Reddy Analytics Associates, Princeton Meadows, NJ Dorothy M. Schulz, Interactive Elements, Inc., New York, NY Mark Kane, FTA Liaison Edward F. Watt, Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Liaison Polly Hanson, APTA Liaison Claire E. Randall, TRB Liaison

TCRP Research Report 234: Measuring and Managing Fare Evasion explores in detail the recent past and emerging future of fare enforcement on transit systems. It includes definitions of fare evasion used by transit agencies across the United States; describes the methods transit agencies use to calculate fare evasion rates; describes how transit properties deter and manage fare evasion; and includes the penalties for fare evasion. The final report should assist transit agencies to better understand and communicate the methods used to calculate fare evasion and its costs, the implications of fare evasion, and the effectiveness and impact of fare evasion policies. It will be of interest to public transit agencies, local governments and planning agencies, potential service operators and sponsors, and other stakeholders. Fare evasion is generally defined as a passenger using public transit without paying the required fare or possessing the required fare media or valid proof of fare payment. Fare evasion has significant implications for the financial sustainability of transit systems, and lost fare revenue must be replaced by another source of funding. The objective of this research was to prepare a report on the state of fare evasion and agency initiatives on fare evasion measurement, deterrence, and enforcement. The research team, led by Four Nines Technologies, focused on three core activities: a review of the existing literature (which included documents from active projects and studies of U.S., Canadian, and other international transit agencies); phone surveys con- ducted with 18 North American transit agencies; and follow-up communications with those transit agencies to develop in-depth case studies on their approaches for measuring and managing fare evasion. An appendix identifies steps to develop and implement a fare enforcement program. The report is available on the website of the National Academies Press (www.nap.edu) by searching for TCRP Research Report 234: Measuring and Managing Fare Evasion. F O R E W O R D By Stephan A. Parker Staff Officer Transportation Research Board

1 Summary 3 Chapter 1 Background 3 1.1 Evolution of Fare Enforcement 4 1.2 Self-Service Fare Collection and Proof of Payment 5 1.3 Fare Enforcement Personnel 6 1.4 Emerging Issues in Fare Enforcement 9 Chapter 2 Research Approach 9 2.1 Overview 10 2.2 Agency Characteristics 22 Chapter 3 Findings and Applications 23 3.1 Overview of Fare Evasion 32 3.2 Fare Enforcement Program Goals and Objectives 35 3.3 Fare Enforcement Strategies and Practices 87 3.4 Fare Enforcement Program Management and Oversight 99 3.5 Methods for Measuring Fare Evasion 115 3.6 Fare Inspection Levels 120 3.7 Legislating and Adjudicating Fare Evasion 146 3.8 Fare Policy and Customer Education 160 3.9 Public Perception of Fare Evasion and Passenger Security 167 3.10 Discrimination in Fare Enforcement 174 3.11 Transit’s Role in Assisting Vulnerable Populations 178 3.12 Capital Infrastructure to Reduce Fare Evasion 189 3.13 New Fare Collection Technologies and Fare Enforcement 198 Chapter 4 Conclusions and Suggested Research 199 4.1 Areas for Future Research 202 4.2 Information Sharing and Communication 204 Acronyms and Abbreviations 206 Glossary 210 References and Bibliography A-1 Appendix A Case Studies B-1 Appendix B Survey Instrument C-1 Appendix C Steps to Develop and Implement a Fare Enforcement Program C O N T E N T S