FOI request on ticket fines across London Underground and Overground stations
Request ID: FOI-2059-2425 Date published: 28 October 2024
You asked
I am writing to you under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to request the following information:
How many ticket fines or warnings have been issued for not tapping in/out across all London Underground and Overground stations for the following periods:
i. 2018/2019
ii. 2019/2020
iii. 2020/2021
iv. 2021/2022
v. 2022/2023
vi. 2023/2024 (or most recent data for this year)
This information should be made available to me in electronic form if possible in a spreadsheet or table. Please share the figures for each London train station.
As per the Freedom of Information Act 2000, please respond to this FOI request within 20 working days.
If it is not possible to provide the information requested for any reason within the FOI exemptions, please provide advice and assistance, under the Section 16 obligation of the Act, as to how I can refine my request. If this request is too wide or unclear, please identify any ways that my request could also be refined.
If any of this information is already in the public domain, please can you direct me to it, with page references and URLs if necessary.
We answered
Our Ref:FOI-2059-2425
Thank you for your request received on 30 September 2024 asking for information about fare evasion on the London Underground and London Overground.
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 do hold the information you require.
We take fare evasion extremely seriously and our team of 450 revenue inspectors operate across our network day and night, using new technology and intelligence to identify anyone travelling without a ticket. Through continued partnership working with the police and intelligence gathering we will push for the toughest penalties for anyone caught fare evading on our services. Fare evasion takes away vital revenue for us to reinvest into our transport network to keep London moving.
The penalty fare is one of several tools available to minimise this revenue loss and deter individuals from committing fare evasion. Penalty Fare Notices are issued in lieu of initiating a criminal prosecution following fare evasion, in circumstances where the offender is considered not to have deliberately set out to avoid the fare due. Fare evasion is a criminal offence that could lead to a fine of up to £1,000 and a criminal record.
You asked:
How many fines had been issued for not touching in/out an Oyster or contactless payment card over the years I listed
Please find the requested information in the tables below:
London Underground
Financial Year
Prosecuted
Warnings
Penalty Fares
2018/19
4,919
153
24,407
2019/20
3,279
186
18,354
2020/21
874
155
70
2021/22
612
178
5,886
2022/23
3,243
574
10,210
2023/24
2,979
948
12,907
2024/25*
1,301
420
5,900
London Overground
Financial Year
Prosecuted
Warnings
Penalty Fares
2018/19
1,813
450
4,428
2019/20
859
268
3,200
2020/21
561
242
0
2021/22
134
98
2,268
2022/23
2,913
352
6,460
2023/24
4,511
887
10,341
2024/25*
1,206
250
6,192
*Up to 14 September 2024 (last complete reporting period)
The number of penalty fares issued during the height of the pandemic in 2020/21 fell as revenue teams were carrying out the enforcement of Government covid regulations and conditions of carriage to keep everyone travelling safe. Passenger numbers were also significantly lower.
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.
