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[QUOTE="Munyaradzi Mafaro, post: 35650, member: 636"]
Free riders on St. Petersburg public transport grew fourfold over three years. City officials counted 3,800 people who skipped paying fares during 2021-2022, and that number jumped to 14,700 cases last year. Public transit companies lost money from all these passengers riding without tickets. Statistics show this problem keeps getting worse every month.

The city wants people to think twice before hopping on buses or trains without paying. Officials plan to raise fines from 500 rubles to 1,500 rubles for anyone caught riding free. This increase keeps the fine at about 7.8 percent of the current living wage, which stands at 19,329 rubles in 2025. People who fail to show proper discount cards will pay 1,000 rubles instead of the lower amount. Passengers carrying luggage without paying extra fees face the same 1,000 ruble penalty.

The governor submitted this plan, hoping that higher fines would solve two problems simultaneously. First, the city wants fewer people breaking the rules on buses, trams, and metro trains. Second, transportation companies need to recover the money they lose from fare dodgers. Many passengers started ignoring fare rules when ticket prices went up, but service quality stayed the same. Transit officials believe stiffer penalties might change rider behavior across the city.
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