@flo “I just don’t understand why people don’t have the attitude:...”
If I thought I would be harassed by the authorities, I guess I might have that attitude, and keep receipts on me all the time. But no one has ever followed me out of a store to accuse me of theft, even on occasions when I’ve neglected to pay for an item (in which case, I always march back into the store to pay for it when I notice).
I’ve worked retail in the past, and the rule has generally been that if you see theft taking place, you can follow the person out and accuse them. But under absolutely no circumstances were we ever to accuse a person of theft unless we were 100% sure we’d seen them willfully hide merchandise on their person. Since I don’t do that, I’m not concerned.
But yes, transit systems are different. I don’t know why. Here, for example, is a quote from the Calgary Transit policy manual (Section A, 9b):
“Any person who is found entering or within a restricted fare area and who fails to produce to an Officer upon demand a valid ticket is guilty of an offence.”
Likewise, in Toronto (provision 2.6): “Failure to surrender fare media or identification card” is punishable by a fine of $425.
I assume all major cities have such rules set by their transit authorities. I’m not sure why @Espiritus_Corvus sees this as “things getting worse”.