Carrier Arriva is extending access controls on the platform at Emmen station for another month. According to a spokesperson, the previous checks can be considered a success. That is why they are now being continued until the end of January. “We see that there are clearly fewer fines being issued and we experience less hassle on the train,” the company said.
The number of fines issued in a week was reduced by more than half after the introduction of platform checks. Arriva: “One week without platform checks we had to deal with more than 800 fines and the following week there were less than 400.”
The enhanced supervision started on December 8 and would initially apply for a period of four weeks. Employees ask travelers every day (from 12 noon to 8 p.m.) on the platform for a valid ticket. Anyone who does not have this with them will not be allowed onto the train and must leave the station.
Every day, dozens of travelers without a valid ticket have been turned away, with the same people repeatedly trying to travel.
Although the checks are effective, this is not the solution to the problem of fare evasion on the Vechtdal lines, the carrier states. “The cause has not been removed. As long as this group of fare dodgers continues to travel by train to and from Emmen (and subsequently Ter Apel), the problem will not disappear. We therefore want to discuss the future of platform checks with our client and the government.”
With this action, Arriva wants to limit the increasing number of fare dodgers. According to Arriva, employees are increasingly confronted with aggression on the train. Moreover, most fare dodgers do not have a valid ID. The result is a lot of hassle, frustration and even violence.
Furthermore, Arriva employees (who carry out platform checks) had to deal with track walking, aggressive behavior, arrests, failure to show ID and causing nuisance on trains and at stations. Both the police and ProRail have been called to this action several times.
If someone does not have a ticket and cannot show a valid ID, the police must come to the scene to carry out an identity check so that a fine can be issued for fare evasion. The public transport boas have limited powers and no access to systems with which a person can be identified. Only a legal change can solve this. Arriva therefore wants to send a signal with these actions.
Arriva regional director Annemarie Hoogeveen painted a worrying picture last month: “Incidents start with irritation or swearing, but we also see spitting, hitting and brutal violence. That is unacceptable.”