$50 Million

$50 Million - that's how much Connex (Melbourne's public transportation network) loses each year due to fare shirkers. A campaign is now underway to a) make people feel guilty about not paying their fares and b) step-up efforts to catch people not paying their fares.

No one appears to be seriously considering more practical measures like, say, building a fence or two. Outside the city center, one is free to walk in and out of stations at his or her leisure. Granted, I've had to produce a ticket by transit authorities about once a month since I got here, but it's clearly not a terribly secure system.