South Western Railway (SWR) has launched a major crackdown on fare evasion after estimating that up to 95 per cent of barcode tickets between two London stations are being used fraudulently.
The operator says the practice, known as "short faring", is putting around £1million of revenue at risk.
What is short faring?
Short faring involves deliberately buying a ticket that covers only part of a journey rather than paying the correct fare for the entire trip. SWR found that up to 95 per cent of barcode tickets, which can be displayed on a phone and bought for the four-minute route between Vauxhall and London Waterloo, were being used fraudulently.
Cheaper tickets valid only between the two stations are frequently being used to open ticket barriers at Waterloo, which allows passengers who boarded at more distant stations to avoid paying the full fare for their journey.
Enforcement operations
SWR says it has identified widespread misuse of barcode tickets and e-tickets by passengers exploiting the system. In response, the rail operator has launched targeted enforcement operations and is stepping up checks at identified hotspots as part of a wider effort to tackle fare evasion across its network.
Matthew Winnie, South Western Railway & Network Rail Wessex Chief Customer and Commercial Officer, said: "The overwhelming majority of our customers pay the correct fare. However, there’s growing evidence of some people deliberately exploiting the system - a criminal offence that deprives the railway of hundreds of millions of pounds each year.
"We know our customers don’t like seeing blatant fare evasion, whether that’s tailgating through ticket gates or simply travelling without a ticket. But we’re also tackling the less visible forms of fare fraud, including short-faring and misuse of e-tickets.
"Every fare avoided is money that can’t be reinvested into improving the railway and delivering the best possible service. We have a responsibility to protect revenue and our specially trained teams work around the clock to check tickets on stations and trains to improve fairness for the millions of customers who do the right thing."
Early results
According to the rail operator, early data indicates that around one third of those previously identified as short faring on the Vauxhall-Waterloo route are now purchasing the correct ticket for their journey. In the first four weeks of the short-faring crackdown, SWR says the scheme has already helped to protect £45,000.
The trial has also reportedly shown how quickly fare dodgers adapt their tactics, with some attempting to purchase barcode tickets from alternative SWR London stations instead. One location saw an 89% increase in barcode tickets compared with the same period last year, SWR said.
One short faring customer was found to have evaded £20,000 over three years travelling between Surrey and London in addition to fraudulently using a 16-17 railcard.
