Transantiago: Govt intensifies fare evasion crackdown

Chile ramped up inspections on Santiago's mass transport system Transantiago in a bid to tackle fare evasion and stem heavy losses that have hit state coffers to the tune of nearly US$10bn.

Transantiago fare evasion stands at 23%, which means nearly one in four people do not pay for the service, more than twice the global average, Paula Flores, head of inspections at transport ministry MTT, told reporters.

MTT doubled the number of checks to 249,904 in the second quarter and registered 18,536 fines, a 213% increase compared to the same period in 2013.

"We'll do all we can to reduce evasion," MTT minister Andrés Gómez-Lobo said, during a random fare inspection.

Transantiago, launched during President Michelle Bachelet's first administration, aimed to improve public transportation in Santiago by lowering the number of buses and optimizing routes.

However, the implementation was rushed, and tweaks in the seven years since it was introduced have been unable to solve what were initially seen as teething problems.

The system has been in need of constant public funding. Last year alone Transantiago lost US$650mn.

Transantiago has increased the number of buses operating and has improved frequency indicators in the last year, but passengers are unhappy with the level of service.

The system ended up last in a client experience survey, dragging down Santiago's once praised metro system.

Bachelet announced plans to invest 558bn pesos (US$1bn) over four years to improve Transantiago.