Police have charged three suspects in connection with forged bus passes in Winnipeg.

The commercial crime unit launched an investigation in April 2013 regarding a rise in the sale of forged Winnipeg Transit passes.

Police said numerous people were arrested and interviewed for using forged bus passes.

Officers identified three suspects involved in the trafficking of the fraudulent transit passes.

A 29-year-old man faces charges for trafficking and possession of forged documents. A 56-year-old man faces charges for possessing a forged document and a 55-year-old woman faces charges for possessing a forged document and trafficking a forged document.

“A genuine Winnipeg Transit bus pass is characterized by an alphanumeric code in which there is a number used to designate the month (1 to 12) and an adult full fare bus pass is signified by a letter 'F' for full fare,” said police in a statement. “This alphanumeric code is in holographic material on the bus pass. Each bus pass also contains a unique serial number.”