Powers of Authorised Officers

Authorised Officers can:
1. Ask your name and address if they have reasonable grounds to believe that you have
committed or are going to commit an offence under the Transport Act. They must alert you of their grounds for the belief that you have no valid ticket.

2. Detain or arrest you without a warrant if they believe on reasonable grounds that it’s necessary. For example, if you can’t prove your identity or address. They can also detain you for the amount of time that it takes to verify your identity.

3. If you do not have a form of ID e.g. a student card, they have the right to ask you to give them the phone number of someone who can verify who you are.

4. Use force that is ‘reasonable’ to detain you. If you are being detained, ticket inspectors must hand you over to police as soon as possible.

5. Fine you for committing an offence e.g. fare evasion.

6. Seize your ticket if you don’t validate it.

7. Ask you to show proof of concession e.g. a Student card or Health Care Card.

 
Your Rights when dealing with Authorised Officers

You must have a valid ticket when you are travelling on public transport. This is a requirement by law.
There may be circumstances however where you can travel without one. These include where you have
• taken all reasonable steps to purchase a ticket before and after your trip; or
• you have not had the opportunity to purchase your ticket, e.g. the machine is not working.

You can:
1. Ask the ticket inspector their name; place of duty and to produce their authority, e.g. their
identification card. You can also ask for this in writing.

2. Make a complaint if you believe that you have been mistreated or unfairly fined by ticket
inspectors.

3. Apply to have a ticket that has been seized to be returned to you.