Over 50 times traveling without a ticket Notorious fare dodger must pay SBB 13,000 francs
A 64-year-old man from Bern has to pay a fine of CHF 1,500 and CHF 13,000 in compensation to SBB: He fare dodged over 50 times.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- When a 64-year-old man from Bern was caught fare dodging in first class on March 17, it was the third time that day.
- In total, the artist had fare dodged almost 50 times.
- Because the offender pretended to be asleep, he is accused of attempted deception.
- A fine of 3,500 francs is suspended on probation. The man must also pay a fine of CHF 1,500 and make restitution of CHF 13,000 to SBB.
It is 17 March 2024: IR15 has departed from Geneva bound for Lucerne and is crossing the La Côte region when an SBB employee enters first class at 18:18. One of the passengers pretends to be asleep in order to avoid the ticket inspection, reports the "Tribune de Genève".
When the conductor nevertheless asks the 64-year-old for his ticket, the man from Bern becomes unfriendly. He initially refused to show his papers, but it soon turned out that he didn't have a ticket at all. It gets worse: the artist is caught for the third time that day.
And that's not all: since the beginning of the year, the offender has traveled almost 50 times without a ticket - mainly on the route between Geneva and Zurich. SBB pressed charges on March 19.
When an offense becomes a criminal offense
The ticket price plus a CHF 90 surcharge must be paid for fare evasion. However, because the man from Bern has already been caught more than three times, the surcharge is CHF 160.
This is an offense, but it can become a criminal offense through deception if the offender hides in the toilet or pretends to be asleep. The public prosecutor's office in the district of La Côte, where the check took place, therefore launched an investigation - and public prosecutor Patrick Galeuchet came to the conclusion that the man from Bern had tried to "escape the consequences of his crime".
In a penalty order issued on May 1, the man from Bern was fined 3,600 francs, although this was suspended due to his lack of previous convictions. However, a further fine of 1,500 francs is due. The man now also owes SBB 13,000 francs in compensation.
However, the man will not initially be included in the national register of fare dodgers, which was launched in April 2019: It only records those who have fare dodged at least 100 times. By the end of 2023, the register will contain 396 people.
