Request ID: FOI-2785-2122 Date published: 30 March 2022
You asked
1. How many Revenue Protection Inspectors were recruited for the years 2013 to 2022? Please state the numbers that were recruited for each year and state the headcount for each year and whether you were below or above headcount for each year. If there are periods that no Revenue Protection Inspectors were recruited please state and give the reason.
2. What year did operation neon start and what year did it end? How many Revenue Protection Inspectors were deployed as part operation neon during its operation? Please state the numbers deployed for each year.
3. What year were bendy buses introduced in service and what year were they taken out of service? Please state the level of fare evasion on bendy buses, as a percentage point, for each year that they operated and the level of fare evasion on OPO buses, as a percentage point, for the same corresponding years.
4. How many Revenue Protection Inspectors transferred to TPH compliance officer role and RTEO role in the years 2013 to 2022? In giving your response please give the number for each year, also state the headcount for each year and whether the headcount for these roles were below or above.
5. What year and date did you start issuing body-worn cameras to
operational staff? What was the business reason or otherwise for issuing body-worn cameras to operational staff? By what percent has body-worn cameras assisted in the reduction of assaults on operational staff?
6. How much revenue did TFL lose on the buses in the years 2016 to 2022? What does TFL attribute these revenue losses to?
We answered
TfL Ref: FOI-2785-2122
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 2 March 2022.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm that we hold some of the information you require. You asked:
1. How many Revenue Protection Inspectors were recruited for the years 2013 to 2022? Please state the numbers that were recruited for each year and state the headcount for each year and whether you were below or above headcount for each year. If there are periods that no Revenue Protection Inspectors were recruited please state and give the reason. Our records show a total of 218 offers were made to successful candidates for the role of Revenue Protection Inspector (RPI) between 2013 and 2016. There were none after that.
From 2019, the specific job title of Revenue Protection Inspector no longer exists, as recruitment was combined with TPH Compliance Officers and Road and Transport Enforcement Officers to a single job title of Operations Officers with the responsibility for revenue protection activity. 2. What year did operation neon start and what year did it end? How many Revenue Protection Inspectors were deployed as part operation neon during its operation? Please state the numbers deployed for each year. Operation Neon began in July 2016 and ended in May 2017. There were circa 60 officers involved in total, and they were split between two teams. Officers only worked Neon shifts two nights a week. The numbers below are our best estimates;
In 2015/16, there were 29 officers working two nights per week
In 2016/17, there were 23 officers working two nights per week
In 2016/17, there were 5 officers working two nights a week
3. What year were bendy buses introduced in service and what year were they taken out of service? Please state the level of fare evasion on bendy buses, as a percentage point, for each year that they operated and the level of fare evasion on OPO buses, as a percentage point, for the same corresponding years. Bendy buses operated from 2001 to 2011. We only hold figures from 2005. Please see below; 4. How many Revenue Protection Inspectors transferred to TPH compliance officer role and RTEO role in the years 2013 to 2022? In giving your response please give the number for each year, also state the headcount for each year and whether the headcount for these roles were below or above. Please see below;
Year
Number of transfers Revenue Protection Inspectors
2013
2
2015
2
2016
11
2018
1
2019
2
Total
18
Year
TPH Compliance Officer
Roads and Transport Enforcement Officer
Total
2013
2
2
2015
1
1
2
2016
11
11
2018
1
1
2019
1
1
2
Total
4
14
18
We are not clear what you mean by the roles being above or below, so we have compared the headcount data to the previous year, to see if it is higher or lower than the previous year. Please see the table below;
Fiscal year/period\Job
Compliance Officer
Roads and Transport Enforcement Officer
Overall Result
Comp Office Change
RTEO Change
2013
86
0
86
2014
73
0
73
-13
0
2015
73
0
73
0
0
2016
71
62
133
-2
62
2017
82
66
148
11
4
2018
78
59
137
-4
-7
2019
85
63
148
7
4
There is a net rise in Compliance Officer over the time frame by 8. There is a net rise in RTEOs over the time frame by 1.
Fiscal year
Revenue Protection Inspector
RPI Change
2013
243
2014
245
2
2015
238
-7
2016
239
1
2017
218
-21
2018
195
-23
2019
186
-9
There are no Revenue Protection Inspector jobs from 2019 onwards. 5. What year and date did you start issuing body-worn cameras to operational staff? What was the business reason or otherwise for issuing body-worn cameras to operational staff? By what percent has body-worn cameras assisted in the reduction of assaults on operational staff? As part of the Work-Related Violence and Aggression (WVA) strategy, TfL began a rollout of Body Worn Cameras (BWC) tofrontline staff in August 2020. The equipment was rolled out to deter WVA against our staff and to capture evidence which would lead to improved convictions. The introduction of BWC is part of a range of measures introduced as part of the WVA strategy, so it is not possible to determine the impact BWCs have had independently on assaults on operational staff. Our Revenue Control Inspectors were offered the use of BWC as part of their duties, some years before August 2020, but their use was voluntary. Body worn cameras have been shown to reduce the number of incidents of violence and aggression towards staff, as evidenced in a British Transport Police trial with Cambridge University, which saw a 47 per cent reduction in staff assaults. 6. How much revenue did TFL lose on the buses in the years 2016 to 2022? What does TFL attribute these revenue losses to? We take fare evasion extremely seriously we employ over 450 revenue inspectors operate across the whole 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.
Historically we have estimated the level of fare evasion for each mode. Fare evasion rates are estimated for each mode of transport through a mix of independent surveying, staff-led surveying and monitoring of inspection data, and monitored by the respective operational teams to inform deployment. The numbers for 2015 and 2016 are below:
Mode
2015
Estimated Revenue Loss
2016
Estimated Revenue Loss
London Underground
£35.3m
£36.9m
Buses
£16m
£16.1m
DLR
£0.5m
£0.5m
London Overground
£1.9m
£1.9
Trams
£0.3m
£0.3m
Total
£54m
£55.7m
Following the introduction of the first pan-TfL Revenue Protection Group and the revision of TfL’s fare evasion methodology, TfL does not have data for 2017 and 2018. This new methodology led to the 2019 figures below. This data is more accurate, consistent and a comparable measure of revenue loss across the different networks In 2019 we undertook a thorough analysis of existing data to give our most accurate estimate of annual revenue loss to date. A summary is provided below:
Mode
Estimated Revenue Loss (p/a)
London Underground
£91m
Buses
£23m
DLR
£9m
Other modes (London Overground, London Trams, and TfL Rail)
£8m
Total
£131m
All survey activity has been paused since the beginning of the pandemic to minimise the risk of infection to staff. This means data is not currently available to estimate recent losses. We are currently reviewing our fare evasion data with a view to developing a more consistent, robust and reliable way of calculating revenue loss in the future. 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 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
Eva Hextall FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
