Dutch rail company NS is turning to artificial intelligence to locate potential fare dodgers as part of a range of efforts to cut back on the number of people not paying to use the train.

Fines for fare dodging across public transport are also going up from €50 to €70. The number of fines issued by the NS has rocketed in the last three years, from 180,949 in 2022 to 353,063 in 2024. The tally for this year is expected to be around 400,000.

“We are using smart technology such as AI, which will help us predict on which routes and when fare dodgers are most likely to operate,” NS board member Eelco van Asch told the Telegraaf.

AI is a “secret trump card”, Van Asch said. “It analyses train types, times, how crowded a station is and historical patterns, and that can result in a message to a ticket collector at Utrecht central station saying: Possible fare dodgers on the 2:32 to Zwolle.”

The system is very precise, Van Asch said. “We are surprised by how accurate it is. We checked everyone on a train to the Feyenoord football stadium between 6pm and 8pm and picked out 1000 fare dodgers, from students to commuters.”

The large-scale operation on that particular train, which involved bringing it to a halt so fare dodgers could not escape, is part of several measures NS is using.

“We are also closing entry gates at Almere central station, for instance, when there are events and we carry out entry checks on everyone. It’s no ticket, no train. We are also using camera surveillance to zoom in on people trying to get in for free, and we seek them out later,” he said.

Van Asch said even last-minute ticket buyers are shown up by the system. “We can tell by the time that a purchase coincided with the moment a ticket collector approached. Staff also carry chargers, so the excuse of no battery is not going to work either.”

The new measures, 850 safety staff and 3000 ticket collectors, will not completely eradicate fare dodging, Van Asch saids.  “Zero fare dodging is not going to happen. We are aiming at people who take the chance of not being checked. This is about a fair and affordable means of public transport. Every fine that is not issued is a win,” he said.