Abstract

This research presents a paradigmatic case study of fare evasion in the Chilean public transport system. It identifies the perceptions of different stakeholders who interact within this system, raising a series of discourses around the social legitimacy of evasion, a conduct traditionally punished and considered wrong. The methodology consists of the use of 41 semi-structured interviews of public transport system stakeholders, such as users, operators, political authorities, social groups, policemen, and others. A qualitative analyses organizes the data into three dimensions: i) context in which evasion takes place, distinguishing between the historic context, the social context, and the moral context; ii) legitimacy of payment, raising the main arguments from which to defend payment as rightful conduct; and iii) legitimacy of evasion, identifying the perceptions that justify evasion as an acceptable social conduct. The conclusions state evasion is a symptom of a much deeper problem. Socioeconomic inequality in Chile allows us to understand the role of public transport as a social right that grants social inclusion, facilitating equal access to the opportunities society offers.