Fare dodging fines have surged across London's transport network as thousands of passengers continue to evade paying for their journeys. Transport for London (TfL) has intensified its crackdown on fare evasion over the past year, resulting in a significant increase in the number of passengers issued £100 penalty fines.
Last year, the Standard reported that approximately 400,000 journeys on a typical weekday are evaded across the TfL network, costing the authority an estimated £200 million annually in lost revenue. Recent figures published by TfL indicate that the evasion rate has risen year on year.
In the year ending March, just over 69,000 fines were handed out, marking a nine per cent increase compared to the previous year. The penalty fares are set at £100 but are reduced to £50 if paid within 21 days. Additionally, 21,533 cases resulted in reports for possible prosecution, a 19 per cent year-on-year rise.
The enforcement drive also saw 6.9 million contactless payment cards checked during the same period, a 51 per cent increase on the prior year. TfL confirmed it secured 14,406 convictions for fare evasion in 2025/26, an increase of 955 from the previous year.
In one notable case, an individual was convicted after being found using a bank card that had been banned by TfL due to previous breaches of its conditions of use. The person admitted to 181 offences and was ordered to pay £2,131.
TfL stated that 3.5 per cent of passengers across its network evade fares, a rate described as “significantly lower than many cities globally.” The authority aims to reduce this figure to 1.5 per cent by 2030/31.
Siwan Hayward, TfL director of security, policing and enforcement, said: “The overwhelming majority of customers pay the correct fare, and it’s unfair that a minority avoid paying. That’s why we are strengthening our capability to detect and deter fare evasion, as shown by the significant increases in enforcement activity across our network – from more customer ticket checks to more officers on the ground and higher levels of revenue recovered. Fare evasion is not a victimless crime. It robs Londoners of vital investment in a safe, frequent and reliable transport network. We are committed to ensuring that those who evade fares face the consequences of their actions, and that the cost of fare evasion is paid by the evaders, not our fare-paying customers.”
Deputy mayor for transport Seb Dance commented: “The vast majority of those using TfL services pay their fares correctly. The small minority of those that evade paying the correct fares are committing a criminal offence which deprives TfL of essential revenue that should be reinvested into our world-leading transport network. For those people we have a clear message: fare evasion will not be tolerated, and that they will be held to account. As part of our crackdown, we’ve expanded our team of professional investigators across the entire network and invested in cutting-edge technology to target the most persistent offenders, and these new figures show that our approach is working. The Mayor and I will continue to support TfL in protecting these vital funds so they can be reinvested in improving transport services for Londoners, as we work to build a better London for everyone.”
