Passenger / inspection collusion

Sometimes passengers caught with an invalid travel document by the inspector may then negotiate to avoid any official penalty, or to receive a reduced penalty if that option exists. An inducement is paid by the passenger to the inspector such that each party benefits, but the operator loses out. Where the penalty fare is perceived as very high, passengers and inspectors are more likely to adopt such strategies because the resultant benefits to each can be large.

This type of offence is hard to detect, because it is being committed by the very officers put in place to protect revenue. One indication that it may be occurring is to compare the level of productivity of inspectors (offences detected each day) with the level of evasion identified in the system through survey. If productivity is low where evasion is high, then collusion is almost certainly taking place.

Where such behavior is identified in the inspection cadre, the most severe disciplinary and criminal prosecution procedures possible must be followed. Offences by management must not be tolerated in any organization, but the financial impact in the case of public transport can be devastating.