Transport for London has been told to stop leaving ticket barriers open and unstaffed if it is to get serious about tackling fare evasion.
The call came from the London Assembly transport committee as part of a cross-party investigation into fare dodgers, who cost TfL up to £190m a year.
Fare-paying Londoners have become increasingly frustrated at the number of people seen blatantly forcing their way through barriers.
A recent survey by London TravelWatch found that 80% of Londoners said TfL was not doing enough to tackle fare evasion.
Last week The Standard revealed that evasion rates were up to 5.1% on the Tube and 7.8% on the Croydon tram network – about twice as bad as first thought.
Now the assembly has written to TfL and British Transport Police to raise concerns and urge greater efforts to target evaders.
The assembly committee said it was “concerned that unstaffed gatelines are not a priority for TfL” and called for it to monitor the practice – often used when staff are on breaks or off sick – over the next six months.
It recommended that TfL “reconsider its approach to staffing stations and its routine use of lone working” to improve both the reality and perception of staff safety in the context of fare evasion.
TfL says it faces four types of fare dodgers: accidental, opportunistic, calculated and chronic.
It says it is considering whether to use facial recognition cameras - used to great effect during the Notting Hill carnival - to spot prolific evaders.
Jared Wood, London Transport Regional Organiser for the RMT union, told the committee that two of TfL’s four categories of fare evader, accidental and opportunistic, “are eliminated if the barrier is staffed and if it is up and running”.
The Committee also heard from Michael Roberts that one area Londoners want to see more action from TfL is on gatelines, he said “people do want to see gatelines used where they are available.”
He also said that where there are no gatelines in place they should be installed, and that TfL should ensure there are sufficient members of staff to operate these.
TfL is looking to introduce ticket barriers that are more difficult to force open.
TfL has set itself the target of reducing evasion from 3.5% to 1.5% by 2031 but the committee said “more is needed” to achieve the aim.
The committee has also written to the British Transport Police, asking what action will be taken to reduce response times – after hearing evidence that officers often do not arrive before those committing violent offences have left the scene.
Elly Baker, the Labour chair of the transport committee, said: “Fare evasion is unacceptable – causing TfL financial losses that eventually become the expense of the vast majority who pay their fares.
“All too often, fare evasion is also linked to violence and aggression towards TfL frontline staff who feels this issue is getting worse.
“TfL must ensure more is done to ensure gatelines are in operation and staffed at all stations and reduce the amount of times staff are being asked to work on their own on our transport network.”
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 £400m 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.”
Efforts to crackdown on fare-evaders have been documented in popular Channel 5 programme Fare Dodgers: At War With The Law.
