TfL launches fresh crackdown on fare evasion with new measures
Transport for London (TfL) plans to expand its team of investigators as part of a suite of new measures to crack down on fare evasion.
London’s transport body is aiming to halve fare evasion across all its services, which costs hundreds of millions each year, to 1.5 per cent or less by 2030.
The rate of fare evasion has dropped to around 3.4 per cent from 3.8 per cent since the pandemic, according to the latest data.
TfL said its investigations team would now cover the Elizabeth Line and London Overground, before a final roll-out across the capital’s entire rail network.
A number of technological solutions have been explored in recent years to catch fare dodgers, including using data to analyse the travel patterns of those who skip fares repeatedly.
Last year, TfL recouped around £400,000 from the courts following the prosecution of 360 “prolific” evaders.
Other measures announced on Wednesday include expanding TfL’s data collection, tailoring the intervention to different modes of transport and working with police to catch the worst offenders using social media.
“Fare evasion is a criminal offence which deprives TfL of thousands of pounds of vital revenue every year that could be reinvested in London’s transport network,” London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who also chairs TfL, said in a statement.
“That’s why we’re expanding our team of professional investigators to cover the whole network and investing in the latest technology to target the worst offenders. It sends a clear message: fare evasion will not be tolerated, and we will hold those who do it to account.
“The team is supporting more than 500 uniformed TfL officers across the network who are already going after fare evaders and helping to keep the public safe. The latest data shows that TfL’s efforts to reduce fare evasion on the network is working, but there is more to do.”
Siwan Hayward, TfL’s director of security, policing and enforcement, said: “The overwhelming majority of customers pay the correct fare, and it’s unfair to those who do that a minority avoid paying.
“We are strengthening our capability to deter and detect fare evaders ensuring they face the consequences of their actions and that the cost of fare evasion is paid by the evaders, not our fare paying customers or taxpayers.”