The Mayor of London has indicated that the rise in penalty fines for fare evasion is having a beneficial effect and serving as a “strong deterrent.”
In March of the previous year, the fine for fare dodging increased from £80 to £100, while the discounted rate for those who pay quickly also went up from £40 to £50.
Sir Sadiq Khan noted that fare evasion on London’s transport system remains “lower than in many similar cities across Europe and North America,” as reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
However, the Conservatives at City Hall argue that Sir Sadiq and his administration are “not facing the reality of the situation,” claiming that substantial progress in addressing fare evasion will only be achievable with police cooperation.
The adjustments to penalty fares paralleled a raise implemented for national rail services by the Department for Transport.
According to the Mayor, fare evasion on the Transport for London (TfL) network was estimated at 3.8% of all journeys between April 2023 and March 2024, as he stated in response to a written inquiry by an Assembly member last month.
He highlighted a slight decrease in this rate to 3.4% during the quarter following the fare increase, from April to June of 2024.
“This early data suggests that the increased penalty fare of £100 is indeed functioning as an effective deterrent,” he remarked.
Typically, figures for the July to September 2024 period would be expected by now, but they have been postponed due to delays stemming from the cyber attack on TfL last year, Sir Sadiq explained.
Nonetheless, the rate of fare evasion across the network still exceeds TfL’s target of keeping it below 1.5%.
In another written response regarding fare dodging, Sir Sadiq reiterated to the Assembly that the fare evasion rate in London “is lower than in many comparable cities in Europe and North America.”
“For instance, in New York, fare evasion on the metro system stands at 13%,” he detailed.
“Applying that rate to London would result in over £400 million in lost revenue annually. We are continuously assessing best practices via regular international benchmarking meetings.”
Keith Prince, the transport spokesperson for City Hall’s Conservatives, countered that “the authorities at City Hall are in denial regarding the extent of the problem.”
He stated, “The Metropolitan Police have withdrawn their support for fare evasion operations due to a lack of political backing from the mayor, and if Khan is genuinely committed to addressing this issue, he must engage with the Met and facilitate their collaboration with TfL staff at the stations.”
Mr. Prince’s statement refers to the Metropolitan Police’s announcement of their withdrawal from supporting Transport for London’s fare evasion initiatives, following an incident where a police officer was convicted for assaulting a woman wrongly accused of fare evasion, a conviction that was subsequently overturned.
