* This blog has been updated to clarify that the bill focuses only on those who use counterfeit or fraudulent tickets.

It seems some Virginia Railway Express riders save money by using fake or doctored tickets to avoid paying fares, even if they’re caught multiple times.

VRE wants to change that by making the penalties for multiple offenders more severe.

A bill to increase fines for such offenders passed the Senate Committee for Courts of Justice on Wednesday.

The bill focuses on those who use counterfeit or fraudulent tickets. The $100 civil penalty for those who fail to validate tickets would remain the same.

Some riders use printers to make fake tickets while others change the dates on old tickets, said VRE spokesman Mark Roeber, who added that it’s “just a handful of people” who do this.

He said there are riders who figure they can save money using fake or doctored tickets even if they’re caught and have to pay the fine. The current $500 fine simply isn’t enough to stop them, because there are some who have been caught four or five times, he said. The bill would raise the fine for a second or subsequent offense to $750 and make it a misdemeanor. The fine for a first-time offense would remain $500.

The increased fine would “be severe enough to deter people” who evade paying ticket fares, said Roeber, who testified before the committee.

The bill now heads to the Senate, and if approved there to the House.