Request ID: FOI-2304-2223 Date published: 13 January 2023
You asked
I would like an annual breakdown of the number of fines issued on the London Underground, with the most recent 12-month period. I would like you to provide information about what the fines were for, with a breakdown of every line and station.
To clarify my question, I meant fines issued on the London Underground for prohibited behaviour, such as drinking alcohol, graffiti or indecent exposure, among others. Fixed penalty notices for fare evasion may come under this as well. I would like information about what you have issued fines for annually, including the most recent 12-month period, broken down by line and station.
We answered
Our Ref: FOI-2304-2223 Thank you for your request received on 11 December 2022 asking for information about fines issued on the London Underground. Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm we hold some of the information you require. You asked:
I would like an annual breakdown of the number of fines issued on the London Underground, with the most recent 12-month period. I would like you to provide information about what the fines were for, with a breakdown of every line and station.
I meant fines issued on the London Underground for prohibited behaviour, such as drinking alcohol, graffiti or indecent exposure, among others. Fixed penalty notices for fare evasion may come under this as well. I would like information about what you have issued fines for annually, including the most recent 12-month period, broken down by line and station.
London Underground have issued 9,886 penalty fares (for fare evasion) between 1 January and 15 December 2022.
The remaining information we hold is recorded by financial year. We have received 554 reports for behavioural offences since 1 April 2022 to the date of your request, and to date have secured 122 convictions in court for these. We have also prosecuted 2,414 people for fare evasion on London Underground since 1 April 2022.
Unfortunately, to provide a breakdown of the information that we hold by line and station would exceed the ‘appropriate limit’ of £450 set by the Freedom of Information (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004.
Under section 12 of the FOI Act, we are not obliged to comply with a request if we estimate that the cost of determining whether we hold the information, locating and retrieving it and extracting it from other information would exceed the appropriate limit. This is calculated at £25 per hour for every hour spent on the activities described.
We have estimated that it would cost over £450 to provide a response to your current request. This is because it is estimated that it would take in excess of 18 working hours to retrieve and compile the information you have requested. Our reporting system does not allow us to break this down by station location or offence, we would have to manually review each penalty fare notice or prosecution case to establish the information required.
Please note that the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) is responsible for the policing of bus services and the following services are policed by the British Transport Police (BTP) – London Underground, London Overground, DLR, trams, and the Elizabeth line. They will hold figures for any fines their officers have issued. Please contact the BTP or MPS directly for this information:
