Public Spaces - Mobility 

An ethnography study individually conducted to analyze if stations that allow fare evasion (without strict barriers) assist for more public activity. 

RESEARCH QUESTION 

In large metropolitan public transport systems with a high degree of utilization, a completely secure system would slow down the inflow of passengers and hence reduce the capacity of the system. Despite the large incurring costs to transport agencies, fare evasion is considered inherent to virtually any public transport system in the world. However, do all of them only use it for mobility? 

Milan has one of the highest fare evasion rates, second only to Hague with 8.0 and 9.9 respectively. In the case of Passante and especially in stations like Porta Venezia, Lancetti, Villapizzone, it is observed there are some permanent alterations in the access points. 

CHALLENGE 

In large metropolitan public transport systems with a high degree of utilization, a completely secure system would slow down the inflow of passengers and hence reduce the capacity of the system. (Source: Fare Evasion as a result of expected utility maximization, 1993). 

GOALS

Fare evasion is illegal and brings about huge economic losses to the agencies reliant on them. This research, however, tries to focus on the ethnographical conditions that tries to amplify the ‘positives’ of the provisional physical elements that ‘also’ allow fare evasion: Free access. 

RESEARCH FINDINGS