Request ID: FOI-1984-2425 Date published: 18 October 2024
You asked
I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 regarding incidents involving alcohol consumption and the possession of open containers of alcohol on the London Underground.
Specifically, I would like to request the following information for the last five financial years (2019/20 to 2023/24):
1. Fines Issued:
2. The number of fines issued to users of the London Underground for drinking alcohol and/or carrying open containers of alcohol. Please provide a breakdown by tube line and financial year, if possible.
3. Alcohol Confiscations:
4. The number of alcohol containers confiscated on the London Underground. Please provide a breakdown by financial year and, where possible, include the brand, type, and size of each confiscated container.
5. Passengers Asked to Leave:
6. The number of passengers who were asked to leave the London Underground for drinking alcohol and/or carrying open containers of alcohol. Please provide a breakdown by tube line and financial year, if available.
We answered
Our Ref: FOI-1984-2425 Thank you for your request received on 23 September 2024 asking for information about alcohol consumption on the London Underground network. Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and our information access policy. I can confirm that we hold some of the information you require. Drinking alcohol or carrying an open container of alcohol is a breach of TfL’s conditions of carriage and our byelaws. The vast majority of incidents of people consuming alcohol on the network are handled by asking the customer to leave the network or to comply by disposing of the open container of alcohol before they enter our network. The majority of people comply with instructions from operational staff, TfL enforcement officers or policing partners. This means that for the vast majority of interaction between frontline or enforcement staff customers will, on request dispose of alcohol before entering our system.
Customers can be prosecuted for byelaw breaches which cover drinking and/or carrying open containers of alcohol. Fines are a matter for the courts to decide, with the level of fine imposed up to a maximum of £1,000. You asked: I would like to request the following information for the last five financial years (2019/20 to 2023/24): 1. Fines Issued: 2. The number of fines issued to users of the London Underground for drinking alcohol and/or carrying open containers of alcohol. Please provide a breakdown by tube line and financial year, if possible. Please find the requested information in the tables below, please note the 2024/25 data is correct up to the date of your request. At present we are unable to break these offences down by specific transport mode or London Underground line. The figures below are for all rail modes – London Underground, London Overground, Elizabeth Line, and DLR. Information on the TfL Railway Byelaw offences can be found on our website at https//tfl.gov.uk/corporate/terms-and-conditions/byelaws which are brought about under section 4 of the Railway Byelaw. Rail – Alcohol Consumption
Financial Year
Prosecuted
Warning
2019/20
0
0
2020/21
2
0
2021/22
11
0
2022/23
0
10
2023/24
3
20
2024/25
0
6
Rail – Alcohol Possession
Financial Year
Prosecuted
Warning
2019/20
0
0
2020/21
3
0
2021/22
37
0
2022/23
24
43
2023/24
41
140
2024/25
0
15
Rail – Alcohol Unfit
Financial Year
Prosecuted
Warning
2019/20
0
0
2020/21
0
0
2021/22
0
0
2022/23
0
0
2023/24
1
0
2024/25
0
0
3. Alcohol Confiscations: 4. The number of alcohol containers confiscated on the London Underground. Please provide a breakdown by financial year and, where possible, include the brand, type, and size of each confiscated container. Accredited officers have the powers to confiscate, but in the first instance, advice and guidance is given regarding the safe disposal. The amount of alcohol containers confiscated is not recorded. 5. Passengers Asked to Leave: 6. The number of passengers who were asked to leave the London Underground for drinking alcohol and/or carrying open containers of alcohol. Please provide a breakdown by tube line and financial year, if available. Interventions around alcohol occur at the gateline, therefore we only hold this information by station and not the line the passenger intended to travel on. Please find the data we hold attached, please note that we only hold data from April 2022. The data for 2024/25 is correct up to the date of your request. There will be some incidents that were recorded via the app used by enforcement officers, however we are currently unable to access that data. If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me. Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal. Yours sincerely
Gemma Jacob Senior FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
