Request ID: FOI-3902-2324 Date published: 04 March 2024
You asked
• The total number of fixed penalty given to members of the public for not holding a valid ticket.
• The total revenue generated to TFL from payments of fixed penalty notices for fare evasion.
• Please include information pertaining to the London underground services only.
• Please only include information for the 12 calendar months of 2023.
We answered
Our Ref: FOI-3902-2324 Thank you for your request received on 6 February 2024 asking for information about fines and fare evasion. 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 valid ticket. We push for the toughest penalties for anyone caught fare evading on our services. Fare evasion takes away vital revenue from us investing more in our transport network to keep London moving. 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 and changes to our ticketing system.
The penalty fare is one of several tools available to minimise this revenue loss and deter individuals from committing fare evasion. Penalty fares are issued in lieu of initiating a criminal prosecution for fare evasion, where the evader is not suspected of fraudulent, deliberate, and repeated fare evasion. Fare evasion is a criminal offence that could lead to prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000 and a criminal record.
Please find the requested information attached. Please note that we hold this information by financial year, not calendar year. The information for the 2022/23 and 2023/24 financial years has been provided.
This data is taken from a live management information system and can change over time. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are correct and complete. However, it is important to note that the data has been extracted from large data systems. Consequently, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when data is used. The data supplied is the most recent available and for that reason may differ slightly from any previously published information. 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
