University students Tom Pisel and Sohut Raut think their fare evasion insurance scheme Tramsurance is “the hero Melbourne deserves.”
The concept goes like so…by putting $20 a month into a communal pool members can fare evade (or “fare protest” as the boys call it) stress free, with the kitty used to cover any fines that rack up. Spawned from a dissatisfaction with ever rising ticket prices and the transport system in general, the duo were compelled to act after Pisel received a fine for nearly $200 after being caught sans Myki late last year.
It’s cheaper than buying tickets and has attracted around 1000 members since launching a couple of weeks ago.
Strangely the authorities aren’t so gun ho about the whole deal with Public Transport Authority chief Ian Dobbs threatening to call in the big guns. “If they don’t desist we’ll probably have to refer them to Victoria Police,” he warned. Contrary to the fact that if they catch you without a ticket they will surround you like they’ve just caught the hot chocolate rapist, turns out tram inspectors are in fact not real police after all.
What do you think about this interesting initiative?
Words by Tara Kenny.
