The number of prosecutions for fare evasion on the London Underground has surged to its highest level in six years, according to data obtained by the BBC.
In the fiscal year 2024-25, Transport for London (TfL) prosecuted 3,691 individuals for fare evasion on the Tube, while also issuing 13,118 penalty fare notices (PFNs) and delivering 850 written warnings.
During the same timeframe, a record total of 12,527 PFNs were issued on the London Overground; however, prosecutions decreased by a third from the previous year, totaling 3,044, with an additional 440 warnings being issued.
TfL emphasizes that fare evasion is “not a victimless crime” and detracts from essential investments in London, while committing to reducing fare evasion to 1.5% by the year 2030.
These statistics were disclosed following a Freedom of Information request from BBC London, prompted by a video from May featuring shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick confronting fare evaders.
The penalty fare is set at £100 but is reduced to £50 if settled within 21 days.
Prosecutions for fare evasion on the Tube reached their peak in 2018-19, totaling 4,919, before dropping to 3,279 the following year.
The pandemic saw a sharp decline in prosecutions due to a significant decrease in passenger numbers throughout the network.
In the 2020-21 period, no penalty fare notices were issued to London Overground passengers, and only 134 prosecutions occurred in 2021-22, which TfL attributed to revenue teams focusing on enforcing government Covid regulations instead.
Warnings issued have continued to rise, with 2023-24 marking a record year for both the Underground (948) and the Overground (887).
TfL reported expenditures of nearly £14.2 million on fare evasion enforcement on the Tube and £7.7 million on the bus network in 2023-24, collecting £1.3 million through penalty charges.
The expenditure levels for the London Overground, Tram network, and Elizabeth line remain unclear, as these services are managed by franchise operators that outsource their enforcement teams.
An estimated 3.4% of passengers evaded fares across all services from April to December 2024, which represents a 0.4% decrease from the 2023-24 period, according to TfL.
Siwan Hayward, TfL’s director of security, policing, and enforcement, pointed out that “the vast majority of our customers pay the correct fare” and asserted that “fare evasion is not acceptable.”
She stated, “That’s why we are enhancing our capabilities to deter and identify fare evaders, including expanding our team of professional investigators to target the most frequent offenders across the network.
“This effort complements our team of over 500 uniformed officers currently deployed across the network to address fare evasion and other antisocial behaviors, ensuring the safety of staff and passengers.”
