FOI request detail

TFL fare evasion

Request ID: FOI-1658-1920
Date published: 26 September 2019

You asked

I would like to request the following information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000: 1. How many single justice procedure notices were issued to people unable to provide proof of fare on buses between January and September 2019? 2. How many single justice procedure notices were issued to people unable to provide proof of fare on tubes between January and September 2019? 3. How many single justice procedure notices were issued to people unable to provide proof of fare on trains between January and September 2019? 4. How many hearings for fare evasion ended in prosecution between January and September 2019? Thank you in advance. If any queries arise from this request please do not hesitate to contact me on [xxxxxxxx] or via email.

We answered

TfL Ref: FOI-1658-1920

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 3rd September 2019 asking for information about the use of Single Justice Procedure Notices (SJPNs) in relation to fare evasion on TfL services.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy.

Fare evasion costs TfL £100m a year – money that we should be investing in the network. We take fare evasion extremely seriously and our team of 450 revenue inspectors operate across the whole network day and night, using new technology and intelligence to identify anyone travelling without a ticket.

Your questions are answered in turn below. Note that our data is held in financial years – the figures given below are therefore this year’s figures to date and last year’s figures. Note also that we use Requisitions as well as SJPNs, and these are included in our data and in the figures below. Requisitions make up less than 8% of all prosecutions.

More information on SJPNs can be found on the GOV.UK website here:

https://www.gov.uk/single-justice-procedure-notices

TfL-specific information in relation to Prosecutions, Requisitions and SJPNs can be found online here:

https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/prosecutions and here http://content.tfl.gov.uk/fare-evasion-prosecution.pdf

Question 1. How many single justice procedure notices were issued to people unable to provide proof of fare on buses between January and September 2019?

Answer: 01/04/2019 to 17/08/2019 = 8,111; 01/04/2018 to 31/03/2019 = 16,808.

Question 2. How many single justice procedure notices were issued to people unable to provide proof of fare on tubes between January and September 2019?

Answer: 01/04/2019 to 17/08/2019 = 1,580; 01/04/2018 to 31/03/2019 = 4,550.

Question 3. How many single justice procedure notices were issued to people unable to provide proof of fare on trains between January and September 2019?

Answer: 01/04/2019 to 17/08/2019 = 602; 01/04/2018 to 31/03/2019 = 1,476 (these figures cover the Docklands Light Railway, TfL Rail, and London Overground services).

Question 4. How many hearings for fare evasion ended in prosecution between January and September 2019?

Answer: All the above cases were prosecutions heard by Magistrates.

If this is not the information you are looking for please do not hesitate to contact me.

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.

Yours sincerely,

David Wells

FOI Case Officer

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

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