If you’re riding GO Transit or UP Express and don’t provide proof of payment, you could potentially be facing steep new fines if a proposal by Metrolinx staff is adopted.According to a report going to the quarterly Metrolinx board meeting on Thursday, staff with the provincial transportation agency said the proposed penalty hike comes nearly four years after graduated fines were introduced.“When enforcement increases the likelihood of detection, penalties set clear, proportional consequences, and communications ensure riders know both, the result is higher voluntary compliance, fewer repeat offences, and lower fare evasion,” the report said.Related:Metrolinx approves new fine system for GO Transit fare evadersIf a rider doesn’t show a valid ticket to a revenue protection officer while on GO Transit or UP Express vehicle or station property, the current fine for a first offence is $35 plus a $25 late payment charge. Under the new proposed penalty structure, the fine will jump to $200.Here are the proposed increases for subsequent fines:Second offence: Current fine is $50 plus a $25 late payment charge, proposed fine is $300Third offence: Current fine is $100 plus a $25 late payment charge, proposed fine is $400Fourth offence: Current penalty is a provincial offences notice with a fine determined by the courts, proposed fine is $500 with a new late payment charge of $25Fifth offence: Provincial offences notice with a maximum fine to be determined by the courts plus a new late payment charge of $25Six or more offences: A provincial summons with a fine of up to $1,000 (to be determined by the courts, subject to approval from the chief justice of the Ontario Court of Justice)If the Metrolinx board adopts the proposed penalty structure, the changes would take effect on Sept. 8.Metrolinx staff projected the increased fines could bring in an extra $6.79 to $10.18 million in revenue based on 40 to 60 per cent of fines being collected. The range during the 2025-2026 fiscal year was $4.48 to 7.87 million.“This sensitivity reflects the risk that customers are less likely to willingly pay higher fine amounts, increasing the share of accounts that may be uncollectable,” staff wrote.The report noted that fare enforcement was limited over the past year based on the current number of revenue protection officers despite what staff described as reduced inefficiencies, better internal practices and increased inspection “outputs.”Related:GO train fare evaders costing Metrolinx $15M“Research consistently finds that the certainty of being caught is a more powerful deterrent than the severity of punishment,” the report said. “Increasing visible enforcement (e.g., proof-of-payment inspections and targeted deployments) raises the perceived and actual probability of apprehension, which discourages evasion.”Staff said during the 2025-2026 fiscal year, there were 1,557,243 inspections on board GO Transit and UP Express vehicles. They said 5.02 per cent of those inspections found people who didn’t produce proof of valid fares. Officials noted that for every one per cent fare evasion goes down, it results in $4,276,598 in recovered revenue.