TfL urged to crack down on ticket fare dodgers as anger grows at £190 million taxpayer bill
Transport for London (TfL) has been urged to stop leaving ticket barriers open and unstaffed to clamp down on fare dodgers.
Listen to this article
The London Assembly transport committee made the call amid a cross-party investigation into fare evasions as anger grows at the issue, which reportedly costs the service up to £190 million a year.
In a letter to TfL, it said it was “concerned that unstaffed gatelines are not a priority” and used when staff are not at work, calling on TfL to monitor the practice over the next six months.
It urged TfL to “reconsider its approach to staffing stations and its routine use of lone working” to improve staff safety relating to fare dodging.
It comes after the number of prosecutions for fare evasion on the London Underground rose to its highest level for six years.
TfL prosecuted 3,691 people on the Tube in 2024-25, and issued 13,118 penalty fare notices (PFNs) and 850 written warnings.
Read more: ‘Prolific fare dodger’ facing more than 100 counts of travelling without a ticket
The service previously said that fare evasion is "not a victimless crime" and "robs Londoners of vital investment", saying it was "committed to reducing the current rate of fare evasion to 1.5 per cent by 2030".
Meanwhile, the cost of fare dodging has surged by 50 per cent, from £130 million in 2022-23 to £190 million in 2024-25, according to Freedom of Information data.
Fare-paying Londoners have grown increasingly frustrated at the issue, with a survey by London TravelWatch revealing that 80 per cent said TfL was not doing enough to tackle fare dodgers.
A TfL spokesperson said: “Fare evasion is a criminal offence and robs Londoners of investment in safe, clean and reliable public transport. That's why we are strengthening our capability to deter and detect fare evaders, including expanding our team of professional investigators and using the latest technology to target the most prolific fare evaders across the network.
“The current fare evasion rate is significantly lower than many cities globally, including New York's nine per cent, and the same rate in London would equate to more than £400 million of lost revenue per year.
“Our data-driven strategy to tackle fare evasion is already making an impact, with the pan-TfL fare evasion rate dropping to 3.5 per cent from 3.8 per cent in 2023/24.
“We welcome the transport committee's recommendations and will be responding to the committee in due course.”
A British Transport Police spokesperson said: “No person on the rail network should ever be subjected to violence or abuse—especially rail staff who are simply doing their job.
"We remain committed to working with TfL and the Metropolitan Police to ensure a joined-up approach to protecting staff and passengers across London’s transport network.
"We encourage anyone who experiences or witnesses crime on the rail network to report it to us by texting 61016 or calling 0800 40 50 40. In an emergency, always call 999.”