MOSCOW, September 11 (RAPSI) – The State Duma has sent a bill on tightened penalties for train hitching to be finalized for enactment by Parliament.

The bill amending Russia’s Code on Administrative Offenses has been submitted to the lower house by the Moscow City Duma.

The draft law’s sponsors proposed differentiate the extent of responsibility for railway transport hitching. Under the bill, fines for such an offence would range from 1,000 to 2,500 rubles in Russian cities and towns, while offenders in major federal cities, Moscow and St. Petersburg, would face fines from 3,000 to 4,000 rubles because of complicated transport infrastructure and serious life and health hazards. Repeated offenses would result in fines of up to 5,000 rubles ($72) or detention for up to 15 days.

Bus, tram or trolley bus hitching would be punishable by fines varying from 1,000 to 2,000 rubles. The offense committed in Moscow or St. Petersburg would be punished with fines of up to 3,000 rubles, repeated violations would result in fines ranging from 3,000 to 4,000 rubles or detention for up to 15 days.

The bill has been drafted to solve a burning transport hitching problem which is especially sensitive in Moscow and other big cities, an explanatory note to the initiative reads.

According to statistics from the transport police, in 2015, 16 minors “train surfers” died in the Central Federal District, in 2016, 9 cases of children’s hitching resulted in death.