TfL fare evasion costs £190m as prosecutions halve under Khan

Transport for London lost £190 million to fare evasion in the last financial year, while successful prosecutions for unpaid fares halved since 2020. Conservative councillors have accused City Hall of rewarding failure, pointing to bonuses paid to senior staff despite rising evasion rates.

TfL’s July report showed 2,048 staff earned over £100,000, including Commissioner Andy Lord, who received £635,533 in total compensation. The report also estimated fare evasion at 3.3% of journeys, down from 3.9% in 2022/23, as reported by MyLondon.

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Prosecutions fall as evasion rises

Conservative Assembly Member Neil Garratt revealed successful prosecutions for fare evasion dropped from 29,113 in 2020 to 14,406 last year. TfL issued over 69,000 penalty fares and referred 21,000 individuals for possible prosecution in the same period, a TfL spokesperson said.

Westminster City Councillor Festus Akinbusoye called the situation an indictment of leadership. He said the £165 million lost to evasion on the Tube and Elizabeth Line could fund 2,000 enforcement officers. Akinbusoye told MyLondon: "Taxpayers are subsidising the criminal choices of those who choose not to pay."

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You cannot be giving a bonus to people who are failing. There is no way that the Commissioner for TfL should be getting any bonus whatsoever at all at a time where fare evasion is rising.

Festus Akinbusoye, Westminster City Councillor

TfL employs around 500 enforcement officers, the same number as in 2010. Akinbusoye said enforcement had halved in the last year while evasion doubled. He blamed fare increases, which rose by 5.5% last year, for funding losses rather than improving services.

TfL defends record and sets 2030 target

A TfL spokesperson said the organisation was committed to reducing fare evasion to 1.5% by 2030/31. They cited increased enforcement activity, including 69,000 penalty fares issued last year, and the use of technology to target prolific evaders.

The spokesperson added: "This builds on the work of our team of more than 500 uniformed officers already deployed across the network to deal with fare evasion and other anti-social behaviour, keeping staff and customers safe."

Mayor Sadiq Khan has previously noted that fare evasion rates in London are lower than in cities like New York and Paris. Akinbusoye dismissed the comparison, saying Londoners faced a cost-of-living crisis and should not fund criminal activity through fare increases.

Conservatives propose 10-point plan

City Hall Conservatives proposed a 10-point plan to tackle fare evasion, including taller barriers at Tube stations, AI-enabled ticket gates, and a city-wide awareness campaign. The plan, authored by Conservative Assembly Member Thomas Turrell, recommended barriers at every entrance to prevent jumping or crawling under them.

Akinbusoye supported the plan, saying delays caused by taller barriers would be worth the savings. He added: "This is about a collapse in the social contract that we have in London, where law-abiding citizens see every day people pushing through the barriers."

What happens next

TfL’s long-term target remains reducing fare evasion to 1.5% by 2030/31. The organisation has not announced changes to staff bonuses or enforcement numbers. Conservative councillors are expected to continue pressing City Hall for action on evasion rates and fare increases.