As I exit the train station, there are rows of uniformed officers who look like riot police, but without the helmets and shields. They are not checking if people have a ticket, the turnstiles take care of that.
When someone with a concession Myki card exits, the turnstile has a very prominent light which shines for a second, letting everyone know that their fare was half-price, subsidised by the taxpayers and other commuters. The officers then proceed to check that those people have a valid proof on them that they deserve the cheaper fares.
It is inconvenient, humiliating, and for many people – especially immigrants from oppressive nations – very stressful.
The checks are meant to be random, but the ratio of officers to concessionary travellers is so high that some of the officers are chatting, relaxed. Everybody gets checked. On most days.
And of course this is at 8am, every single person who is checked has gotten up early and commuted to a tax-paying job, not exactly the profile of someone trying to cheat the system.
But yes, if there were no checks, some people will cheat the system. Studies have shown that the vast majority of commuters do the right thing, regardless of whether checks are ever made. And those that do cheat, considering that they are already receiving a concession and are workers, presumably they feel they need to, to make ends meet.
This is just one example of how the poor are punished for being poor. It becomes far, far worse for those who are unable to find a job. Or people who need government help because of a medical problem – there are many stories of people having to repeatedly prove they have a permanent disability…
These are symptoms of a caring society. If we give generously to those who deserve help, then that help needs to be quantified, characterised and proven to be effective. And the recipients need to prove they are worthy of the help, because of all the cheats out there. With some imagination, there are ways to improve the situation, for the poor not to be stressed and embarrassed when receiving the help they need.
In Melbourne, the public transport is already subsidised – the running costs are double the revenue from tickets. So actually full-price travellers are paying 50% and concession travellers are paying 25%. We are all getting a government handout, but only one group gets the special treatment at the turnstile (as well as having to prove worthiness to buy the discount Myki card to begin with – that also has extra hassles).
So, in line with how UBI and Universal Basic Services can improve society, so it is with the trains. Let everyone pay 25% of the operating costs, or, if the system has the capacity for extra patronage, make it free.
We can switch something like public transport to a universal right, rather than a class-based system that reminds people, early in their day, about how grateful they should be.
