Perth train passenger says she was humiliated and left feeling ‘like a criminal’ after she was fined for not tapping on – even though travel was free at the time

A woman says she has been traumatized by the ‘humiliating’ experience of being marched off a train and given a heavy fine for not tapping her rail pass – despite it being during a period of free travel.

Bianca Allen, 49, said the experience was so frightening she has struggled to sleep since she was fined $100 for not touching her SmartRider card before traveling to Perth’s coastal Fremantle district on Sunday evening.

After rushing to the train, Ms Allen was shocked to be approached by two Transperth guards who told her she had not said anything.

Despite it being the newly introduced free travel period, introduced by the Cook government in WA as a cost of living relief measure, Ms Allen was escorted off the train and given the fine.

The shocked 49-year-old insisted she had wanted to stick to public transport rules.

“My husband and I were running to the train, I bent down to tag my card and I missed my glasses, I trusted the beep, heard the beep and thought, ‘Yes, I did it,'” she shared. Perth Now.

“I was marched off the train by two guards as if I had committed a heinous crime,” she said.

‘It’s really annoying, the way I was treated made me feel like a criminal. It’s just crazy.’

Although Mrs. Allen protested that the ride was free, the guards responded that it was only for those who went along.

“I just want to prevent other families from falling into this trap,” she said.

“There’s nothing like bringing in revenue when you’re trying to come across as the right guy.”

Two more guards ‘greeted’ Ms Allen when she arrived in Fremantle.

Ms Allen said that the ‘The disgusting treatment had stayed with her and caused her to lose sleep, especially as she feared that children would face the same kind of heavy-handed enforcement.

Transperth spokesman David Hynes said on Monday afternoon that scanning for public transport is essential to keep services running efficiently, even if there is no charge.

Collecting such data “impacts several key business metrics that keep Perth’s public transport network operating effectively, including knowing when services are reaching capacity,” he said.