A Study on Improving Ticketing Systems to Prevent Fare Evasion

Abstract

This study analyzes the structural causes and social impacts of fare evasion in public transportation systems and proposes comprehensive improvement measures for ticketing systems. Fare evasion, defined as intentionally avoiding or underpaying fares, threatens the sustainability and fairness of city rail transit, leading to significant financial losses, which have been estimated in prior studies to reach tens of billions of KRW annually. As evasion methods become increasingly sophisticated through technology such as mobile card sharing and data manipulation, existing automated systems show clear limitations due to the lack of real-time identity verification. To address these issues, this research suggests a phased strategic roadmap consisting of short, medium, and long-term solutions based on case studies from leading global cities like London, Tokyo, and Singapore. First, as a short-term measure, the introduction of real-name ticketing and improvement of physical gate structures are proposed. By requiring personal identification for the issuance of single-use and concessionary cards, the unauthorized transfer or lending of tickets can be prevented. Furthermore, the transition to a closed-gate system is essential to eliminate verification blind spots and ensure accurate real-time fare calculation. Second, as a medium-term measure, the adoption of NFT (Non-Fungible Token) based tickets and AI-driven enforcement systems are highlighted. NFT technology ensures the uniqueness and authenticity of tickets through blockchain, significantly reducing the risk of duplication. Simultaneously, AI-based video analysis can support the detection of physical evasion behaviors like 'tailgating' in real-time, improving operational efficiency. Third, as a long-term strategy, the implementation of biometric authentication systems (facial, fingerprint, or iris recognition) is suggested. This “Post-ticket” approach uses non-fungible physical characteristics for verification, substantially mitigating ticket-related fraud. However, the study emphasizes that technological implementation must be accompanied by robust legal and regulatory frameworks for data privacy protection, as well as sufficient social consensus.