Metrolinx plans to crack down on riders who don’t pay their GO Transit fare after learning that fare evasion is a bigger problem than previously realized.

In a report that will be presented to Metrolinx’s board of directors next week, George Bell, the vice-president of safety and security, called their previous fare inspection strategy “ineffective.”

“Previous counts led us to believe our fare evasion rate was closer to 1.1 (per cent). A more recent and accurate campaign, whereby we conducted full train inspections over a six-month period, revealed that the evasion rate is approximately 3 (per cent),” the report read.

Bell estimated that a 1 per cent fare evasion rate results in about $5 million in lost revenue.

“We found that our original goals and the fare inspection strategy in place didn’t allow us to complete full train inspections and was thus proven to be ineffective,” he said. “Our former strategies weren’t aligning with increased service levels and passengers volumes.”

Metrolinx has now launched an “enhanced revenue protection program” and will add 12 new full-time officers to its revenue protection team, which brings the total of full-time officers to 32. In addition to the full-time staff, Metrolinx currently has eight part-time revenue protection officers.

The new officers, Metrolinx says, are currently in training and are expected to start on June 1.

In a statement sent to CP24 on Thursday night, Bell said “the vast majority of customers” pay their fares as required.

“Unfortunately there will always be a small percentage of people who will look for ways to scam any system. Reduction and recovery of that amount is critical because it protects the taxpayer’s investment in the system,” he said in the emailed statement.

Riders who don’t pay their fare face a $100 fine.

“We’ve recently launched an enhanced revenue protection program as a way to keep up with our new and expanded weekday, off-peak and weekend services. We are a hopeful we will trim evasion rates by 25 per cent by devoting the greatest amount of enforcement to trips with high ridership volumes and high evasion rates,” Bell said.

The report notes that Metrolinx would recover about $3.75 million by reducing fare evasion by 25 per cent.