In the first six months of the year, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT) collected ₹2.80 lakh in fines from ticketless travelers. A total of 1626 ticketless travellers were caught during the period while commuting in NMMT buses. Ticketless travelling is one of the major causes of financial losses in the civic transport wing.
NMMT buses witness heavy rush in Thane, Mumbai, Kalyan, Dombivli, Panvel, and Uran areas during peak hours. A few commuters take advantage of crowded conditions to evade fares. NMMT has deployed 50 ticket inspectors to tackle the problem. However, the growing number of fare evaders necessitates increasing their numbers for more effective enforcement.
Now, NMMT has revised the penalty for ticketless travellers. Previously, violators were fined ₹100 for ordinary buses and ₹200 for air-conditioned buses. Now, the fine has been increased to ₹157 for ordinary buses and ₹310 for air conditioned buses. This increment in fines has contributed to the growth in revenue from fare evasion penalties, according to an official statement.
