Fare evasion costs Transport for London £130m a year

Around one in 29 public transport users in London do not pay the correct fare, figures show.

Transport for London (TfL) said 3.5% of passengers across its network evade fares, costing it £130 million annually.

The figure has fallen from 3.8% in the 2023/24 financial year.

In April, TfL announced new measures aimed at slashing the figure to 1.5% by the end of the decade.

These include targeting the most prolific fare evaders and using advanced technology.

Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick posted a video on social media on Thursday in which he confronted people who forced their way through the ticket barriers at Stratford station in east London.

He asked one person “do you think it’s all right not to pay” and challenged another to “go back through the barrier and pay”.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live on Thursday, Mr Jenrick said staff “weren’t doing anything” to tackle evasion when he was at Stratford to film the video.

“They weren’t either trained or didn’t have the self-confidence to take action, and I think that’s the issue sometimes,” he said.

London Underground and Overground services operate from Stratford, as well as mainline rail services, the Elizabeth line and the DLR.

Interventions with fare dodgers are involved in around half of reported incidents of violence and aggression towards frontline staff, according to TfL.

Trade union the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) appeared to accuse Mr Jenrick of “trying to score points” with the clip.