Fare evasion crackdown ramps up across London network

Every unpaid journey deprives our city of vital investment in a safe, frequent, and reliable transport network.

We know that the vast majority of customers pay the correct fare, but there is a small and often persistent minority who don’t.

Fare evasion is not a victimless crime.

Every unpaid journey deprives our city of vital investment in a safe, frequent, and reliable transport network.

We know that the vast majority of customers pay the correct fare, but there is a small and often persistent minority who don’t.

In years gone by, fare evasion might have meant someone jumping on and off a Routemaster bus, or someone failing to produce a valid paper ticket.

Since then, modern buses, automatic ticket barriers, contactless payments and more sophisticated enforcement strategies have made fare evasion much more difficult.

But while our systems have evolved, so too have the tactics of those intent on dodging their fares.

Siwan Hayward says that as part of the crackdown on fare dodger, TfL has made enforcement more visible (Image: TfL)

In recent years, Transport for London (TfL) teams have dealt with misuse of concession fares, tailgating at barriers, and digital fare evasion with fraudulent bank cards.

Despite these challenges, we continue to make progress, with the fare evasion rate falling from 3.9 % in April 2023 to 3.5% in June 2026, with a goal of driving down the rate to below 1.5 % by 2030/31.

To achieve this, we are taking a targeted and data-driven approach, increasing on-board inspections on buses and taking firmer action against those who attempt to push through ticket barriers at stations without paying.

Using advanced tools to identify patterns of behaviour and investigate persistent offenders, our investigations team recently uncovered two serial fare evaders at Chadwell Heath station.

The first admitted to 156 counts of fare evasion after amassing £3,290 in unpaid fares, while the other admitted to 67 offences totalling £879 in unpaid journeys.

Both of these people are facing possible prosecution.

We have also made enforcement far more visible.

On the bus network, enforcement activity has risen sharply, with more than 3.3 million passenger checks conducted, an increase of 13% year on year - and more than 190,000 buses inspected, up 18% on the previous year.

During a recent operation at Barking Bus Station, enforcement officers carried out spot checks on 122 buses, which led to 30 penalty fares being issued and nine individuals being reported for possible prosecution.

For me, this is about more than numbers.

A visible enforcement presence acts as a powerful deterrent, but it also reassures the thousands of passengers who do pay their way that the system is fair.

Ultimately, tackling fare evasion is about protecting the future of our city.

Every fare paid helps keep London moving and that is something worth standing up for.

• Siwan Hayward is the director of Security Policing & Enforcement at Transport for London.