KEY POINTS:
Rail passengers in Auckland say it is unfair to accuse them of evading fares when there are often not enough ticket collectors to reach them through crowded carriages.
The Auckland Regional Transport Authority is considering erecting barriers at Britomart and other key stations to require passengers to buy tickets before being allowed on to platforms.
That follows concern at a "leakage" of revenue from an estimated 7 per cent of passengers from whom fares go uncollected.
But that may be a conservative figure, and the Herald received messages yesterday from passengers who reported sometimes starting and finishing their trips in trains that were too crowded for ticket collectors to reach them.
"From what I can see, this leakage is caused by two factors - not enough train services causing trains to be overcrowded, and not enough ticket collectors," said Kieran Munro, a daily commuter through Meadowbank Station.
"It is hardly the fault of the passenger if the collector doesn't reach them in time before they get off at their stop.
"I often get to the end of my ride without being ticketed."
An expatriate New Zealander visiting Auckland from Perth was surprised there were no ticket-selling facilities available when he boarded a crowded train between Avondale and Mt Eden on Saturday night.
The man, who did not want to be named as he was embarrassed not to have paid for his trip, said he saw no train conductors and wondered why Auckland had not followed Perth's example by installing ticket-vending machines at suburban stations.
Auckland transport authority customer services chief Mark Lambert disclosed to regional councillors last week that rail and bus operators had no power to fine fare evaders, and he said his organisation was considering asking for a law change.
He said rail operator Veolia had already tried to reduce revenue losses by adding more ticket collectors to trains at peak times, and the authority was considering installing barriers at Britomart and some other stations as a short-term measure.
