EMT claims citizen´s card has cut fraud

The EMT (Municipal Transport Company) claims that there has been a considerable reduction in fraud following the introduction of the Tarjeta Ciudadana or citizen's card which replaced the popular bonobus or clipper card for cut price bus fares. Company sources said that the amount of money taken through fares was up by ten per cent, while the total nummber of passengers rose by 8.4 per cent to 26 million. José Manuel Barquera, the company's director general, said that these figures did not coincide which meant that the number of people cheating on fares had been reduced. The number of passengers who pay the full 175 pesetas fare in the first 11 months of the year has risen by nearly 21 per cent. Barquero argued that obviously this does not mean that the number of passengers has increased by 20 per cent but that a large number of persons who before the introduction of the citizen's card faked a bonobus or avoided paying the full fare are now paying the 175 pesetas. The number of persons travelling on the free passes given to pensioners has also dropped from last year's 170'000 to just over 59'000. Barquero said that it was evident that the introduction of the citizen's card had led to a great reduction in fraud, which was one of its objectives. More than 5'300 tickets using the emergency system introduced for use when the citizen's card is faulty were issued in the first three months of its introduction.