AN 18-month sting operation has nabbed hundreds of commuters illegally using concession SmartRider cards to secure cheaper train and bus fares.

In one instance, a Secret Harbour woman used a relative’s health care card to secure $11,600 of cheaper train travel.

A Yanchep woman did the same thing for $10,155 in illegal travel. And a Meadow Springs man “stole” $3989 in train travel by using his brother’s student SmartRider to access 60¢ fares from Mandurah to Perth instead of paying the standard $9.30 fare.

Nearly 800 SmartRider cards have been confiscated since June 2015 — an average of about 10 every week.

More than half involved the illegal use of student cards. Four were employees of the same major city financial institution.

Offenders have been made to repay the money as a lump sum or as part of a payment plan. But in some cases, the money has been pursued through debt collectors or the courts.

So far, more than $120,000 in lost revenue has been recouped.

Camera Icon Transperth have completed an 18-month crackdown on people stealing cheap train fares. Credit: PerthNow, Simon Santi

The sting was launched after the Public Transport Authority noticed a spike in the number of commuters using the student card outside normal school hours.

“The people caught during this operation are not what most people would consider typical fare evaders,” PTA spokesman David Hynes said.

“They are tagging on and off using SmartRiders. The problem is they aren’t entitled to the discounted travel the card is getting them.

“The gap between what they have been paying — and what they should be paying — goes into the operation of public transport services in WA. It’s not fair that other passengers pay their way and they don’t.”

Of the 794 confiscated SmartRider cards, 415 were student SmartRiders and 168 were university or TAFE student cards.

There were 71 pensioner cards, 97 health care cards and 43 seniors cards.

Mr Hynes said the operation would result in a campaign to remind passengers that officers were on the lookout for this type of offending.

He said Transperth had the lowest rate of fare evasion nationally — less than one per cent.