The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has been accused of unleashing a 'dark blizzard of disinformation' regarding fare evasion on the capital's transport network. Transport for London (TfL) recently highlighted increased checks and penalty fares issued to passengers avoiding payment on trains, buses, and trams. However, the overall evasion rate remains unchanged at 3.5%, despite TfL's target to reduce it to 1.5% or less by 2031. The network also failed to meet its previous 1% target by 2025.
Conservative Criticism
Conservative Assembly Member Neil Garratt has accused Sir Sadiq Khan of 'hiding behind misleading announcements' in the hope that Londoners will not notice. Garratt stated: 'Fare evasion robs London of £190 million a year. It punishes everyone who does pay, makes public transport feel disorderly and unsafe, and leaves frontline staff to face aggression and abuse.' He added that the Mayor sets targets, promises action, and announces crackdowns, but a year of his 'bold new plan' has made no difference.
Analysis of TfL Data
Garratt's analysis revealed that while successful prosecutions by TfL officers have increased compared to last year, they are less than half the figure recorded in 2019, even though passenger numbers have largely recovered since the pandemic. Additionally, less than half of penalty fares were paid last year, despite TfL increasing the fine from £80 to £100 to act as a stronger deterrent.
Mayor's Response
During Mayor's Question Time, Garratt challenged Khan to admit his plan was not working. Khan responded: 'According to the member's own figures, prosecutions have increased and revenues raised have increased, and indeed the numbers not paying have gone down. So one would expect from those numbers that it seems to be working.' He added that TfL aims to reduce fare evasion to 1.5% within five years, noting that this is far less than in other parts of the country and the globe.
TfL's Spending and Future Plans
TfL stated it spent nearly £22 million cracking down on fare dodging across the network and will continue to do so. Last year, City Hall Conservatives proposed a 10-step plan to further reduce fare evasion, including taller barriers, specialist enforcement staff, AI-enabled ticket barriers, and a city-wide awareness campaign. A TfL spokesperson expressed confidence in the current strategy to bring down fare evasion.
