A two-week investigation into Calgary Transit fare compliance revealed more LRT users have a ticket to ride than ever.
According to Calgary Transit officials, between October 19 and November 1, peace officers asked 45,248 CTrain riders for proof of payment and 98.3 per cent of users were able to supply a valid ticket or pass.
“Having a low of 1.7 per cent of customers evading fares is statistically significant because it tells us that Calgarians are honest,” said Brian Whitelaw, head of Calgary Transit public safety and enforcement.
The recent findings are an improvement from studies conducted between 2009 and 2014 when an average of 96.4 per cent of CTrain users had paid to ride.
Whitelaw says the increase in compliance cannot be contributed to a single factor but he does credit the increased numbers, and presence, of transit security.
“Our peace officers are also very visible,” explained Whitelaw. “We have more peace officers and they do a good job checking for paid fares.”
On an average weekday, Calgary’s CTrains transport approximately 325,000 passengers.
