Request ID: FOI-3520-2223 Date published: 15 May 2023
You asked
The information I would like to receive:
The number of people caught fare dodging by TfL passengers on all routes in 2021, 2022, and up to March of 2023. I would also like to see the figures for how much the fare dodger was fined and whether this was paid (both penalty fares and prosecutions). Please specify for all fare dodgers the total number caught on buses, the total number caught on the underground, and the total number caught on the overground.
We answered
Our ref: FOI-3520-2223 Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 27 March 2023 asking for information about fare dodgers. 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 for: The number of people caught fare dodging by TfL passengers on all routes in 2021, 2022, and up to March of 2023. I would also like to see the figures for how much the fare dodger was fined and whether this was paid. Please specify for all fare dodgers the total number caught on buses, the total number caught on the underground, and the total number caught on the overground. 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 push for the toughest penalties for anyone caught fare evading on our services. Fare evasion takes away vital revenue for us to reinvest in our transport network to keep London moving. We have strategies in place to tackle fare evasion head on and a commitment to reduce any form of ticketing irregularities. Efforts to tackle fare evasion have been helped by changes to the way we manage our stations, with more staff visible in and around stations including on gate lines. The penalty fare is one of several tools available to minimise this revenue loss and deter individuals from committing fare evasion. In circumstances where the offender is considered not to have deliberately set out to avoid the fare due, Penalty Fare Notices are issued in lieu of initiating a criminal prosecution following fare evasion. Fare evasion is a criminal offence that could lead to a fine of up to £1,000 and a criminal record. Please see the data attached showing how many prosecutions, fines, costs, compensation, victim surcharge, average fine and average costs per mode of transport as requested, along with data on Penalty Fares issued, paid and income. We have included data from previous years so the effects of the Covid pandemic on prosecutions can be seen. There was a reduced number of penalty faresand prosecutions issued during the height of the pandemic in 2020/21 as revenue teams were carrying out the enforcement of Government covid regulations and conditions of carriage to keep everyone travelling safe, and passenger numbers were also significantly lower. All of our revenue teams have now returned to their core activity, tackling fare evasion. Explanatorynotes: Acronyms – LU – London Underground, DLR – Docklands Light Railway, EL – Elizabeth line (formerly TfL Rail and Crossrail), LO – London Overground. Fine – this goes to fund His Majesty’s Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS). Costs – this goes to the prosecutor (in this case, TfL). Compensation – This goes to the victim (in this case, TfL). Victim Surcharge – goes to fund HMCTS/Govt victim support services. Defendants pay their total debt (fine, costs, compensation, and victim surcharge) amounts due directly to HMCTS and in most cases pay this in agreed small monthly instalments under a payment instalment plan which can last several years. As a result the Court income received by TfL in any given Financial Year often relates to historical prosecutions taken over several. Compensation is paid off first, then the fine and then victim surcharge/prosecution costs. TfL does not hold data in respect of whether all the court debt is ultimately paid off. HMCTS hold these records. 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 Sara Thomas FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
