The $20 penalty is about 10 times the maximum cash fare a person ordinarily would have paid. -- ST PHOTO: SHAHRIYA YAHAYA

FARE cheats could be in for one expensive ride from July 1, when new penalties imposed by the Public Transport Council (PTC) kick in.

Aimed at making fare evaders and those who misuse concession cards feel the pinch, the new penalties could help stem the $9 million in fares bus operators lose each year, according to 2005 statistics.

Commuters caught not paying or underpaying when using buses and trains will have to pay a penalty of $20, while those caught misusing concession cards - using stolen or expired cards, for example - will pay a penalty of $50.

The $20 penalty is about 10 times the maximum cash fare a person ordinarily would have paid.

Today, a commuter who avoids payment by not tapping his ez-link card at the entry reader when boarding a bus, or who underpays by tapping his ez-link card at the exit reader several bus stops before alighting, simply has to pay up the evaded fare.

The same goes for cash-paying commuters who intentionally pay for a shorter journey than they intend.

A spokesman for the PTC said commuters who commit more serious offences, like using cards that have been tampered with or stolen, face a harsher penalty of $50.

Failing to pay the penalties can result in fines of up to $1,000 for the first offence, or $2,000 and up to six months in jail for repeat offences.

Read the full story in Saturday's edition of The Straits Times.