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Metro
2 days ago
- Metro
Fare dodger caught red handed after evading £1,650 in tickets
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A prolific fare dodger was caught red-handed after racking up a £1,650 bill on the Elizabeth line. The man had avoided paying for almost 250 journeys by using a trick known as short-faring over eight months. He had been using his Oyster Card to travel from Harold Wood or Romford to Stratford in east London, but he had only bought the fare in Zones 2 to 3, instead of the full fare from Zone 6 to 2. A monthly Travelcard between Zones 2 to 3 costs £128.7, while a Zones 2 to 6 pass sets you back by £214.7. Thinking he had gamed the system, the unassuming passenger travelled regularly between the zones by shortening his fare, but the detection system picked up his journeys. The TfL investigators set up a sting operation at 5.30am to catch the man on his morning commute to Stratford from Harold Wood. The heated encounter is featured in an upcoming episode of the Channel 5 series Fare Dodgers: At War with the Law, which airs on Monday. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video His fare dodging had created a 35-page dossier of evidence for the investigators Rich and Greg to trawl through to understand his movements – and to set up the best time to catch him in action. He had avoided paying £1,651 worth of Tube tickets over around 245 journeys. Irregular payments and travel patterns can be picked up by the TfL's Irregular Travel Analysis Platform (ITAP), which also detects short-faring. It combs through ticketing and journey data, passengers' information, CCTV and travel patterns to spot fare evaders racking up the biggest bills. The transport authority spent almost £22 million on a fare dodging crackdown last year. Around 3.4% of passengers avoided paying for travel between April and December last year. TfL recovered £400,000 through the courts after the prosecution of 360 worst evaders. Dressed in normal clothing to stay undercover, the pair waited for the man to walk into their arms. When asking for a ticket check on his Oyster card, the man says he didn't have one. 'You do, so what did you use to come here,' the investigator asks. The man continues to insist he has used a bank card. While he agrees to provide his name and address, but he refuses to show his Oyster card, saying he has lost it. More Trending He eventually hands over the Oyster card after being taken to a back room for questioning when the investigators said they will call the police if he continues to be 'obstructive.' After the chat, he continued his journey while the case will be passed onto the TfL prosecution team. Another short-farer was caught at Waterloo station previously, who evaded paying £20,000 on his regular commute from Surrey to central London. The next episode of Fare Dodgers: At War with the Law is on Channel 5 airs at 9pm on Monday, June 23 on TV and on the streaming platform. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Man 'carrying a gun' at Elm Park Underground station arrested during rush hour MORE: Passengers stuck on trains and platforms in sweltering heat after fire alarm MORE: Dartford Crossing charge will go up for drivers – here's how much it rises
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Yahoo
The tech arms race to beat fare-dodgers
This embedded content is not available in your region. Credit: mirr22_/Tiktok A technological arms race has broken out to combat the fare-dodging crisis plaguing Britain's railways. Faced with the prospect of £500m in lost ticket sales, rail operators are embracing artificial intelligence (AI) and so-called machine learning to crack down on freeloaders. Evasion tactics that once went little further than hiding in a train lavatory to avoid the guard have changed radically since ticket barriers – first trialled on the Tube in 1964 – were introduced at major stations and across commuter networks. Miscreants are often seen forcing their way through the barriers to avoid paying, a trend recently highlighted by Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, as he issued a call to arms. However, evasion tactics span well beyond brute force. The digitisation of ticketing in particular, with the bulk of payments made by bank card, travel card or mobile phone, has opened up whole new avenues for fare abuse and forced operators to respond with tougher safeguards. This embedded content is not available in your region. Credit: X/@RobertJenrick Transport for London (TfL), which puts its annual losses from fare-dodging at £130m, says that 4.7pc of Tube passengers – almost one in every 20 – skipped paying or stumped up the incorrect fare in the last financial year alone. Yet, across its wider network of the Tube, Overground, buses, Docklands Light Railway and Elizabeth Line, the rate of offending fell from 3.8pc to 3.4pc after fines were raised to £100. TfL aims to bring it down to 1.5pc by 2030 through an intelligence-led approach combined with new technologies and more proactive enforcement. While offending in London is well short of New York's 13pc evasion rate, Siwan Hayward, TfL's director of security, says that fare-dodging 'is not a victimless crime'. She says: 'It robs Londoners of vital investment in a safe and reliable transport network. The overwhelming majority of customers pay the correct fare, and it's unfair to those who do that a minority avoid paying.' The main weapon in TfL's armoury is its Irregular Travel Analysis Platform (ITAP), which uses ticketing and journey data, passenger information and CCTV to identify repeat offenders. The tool is integral for a TfL investigations team that seeks to identify 'high-impact offenders', some of whom cost the network up to thousands of pounds a year in lost revenue. After studying data, the team liaises with 500 uniformed enforcement officers and plain-clothes inspectors, who can demand proof of a ticket or travel card while staging sting operations in stations, sometimes supported by the British Transport Police. This crackdown led to TfL securing fines of £400,000 last year after prosecuting 360 of the most prolific offenders. Among the offences deployed by fare evaders are techniques known as zonal avoidance and re-tokenisation. The former, colloquially dubbed 'doughnutting', involves travel through zones that have not been paid for. In re-tokenisation, or 'card tumbling,' the fraudster deletes a virtual card from a digital wallet on a mobile device after a journey to prevent authorisation of the transaction overnight. The card is then reloaded, at which point it is allocated a new tokenised number, preventing it from being blacklisted. A similar con involves the use of a bank card with insufficient funds to pay for a ticket. Tube gates identify the card as genuine and will let the holder in and out, only for the payment to bounce when requested. One offender last year used a contactless card to avoid paying the correct fare on 202 journeys, resulting in £1,427 in fines. Other scams include the abuse of Freedom Passes, which offer free travel in London for the disabled and those aged 66 and over. Meanwhile, outside of the biggest cities, at least 2,000 of Britain's 2,500 or so stations still lack barriers. Therefore, bosses are required to rely on traditional checks to ensure passengers are paying. Graham Sutherland, chief executive of FirstGroup, which runs express trains on the West Coast and Great Western main lines, said on-train ticket checks remained vital to prevent 'revenue leakage'. But there is no doubt that technology has been a game-changer. LNER, which runs trains between London King's Cross and Edinburgh, has led the way among long-distance operators in deploying AI to uncover unusual ticket-purchase patterns and identify fraudsters, setting up a 'machine learning team' to work alongside its risk experts. A pilot project that began in 2023 immediately identified a customer who had failed to pay for £10,000 worth of travel. Using information uncovered by the new technology, the team then built a case, which resulted in the customer repaying the full loss to LNER. Paul Larder, at LNER, said the application of machine learning had been revolutionary. He said: 'Previously, we've relied on our revenue protection team to identify customers who deliberately purchase incorrect tickets for travelling on our services. 'By using AI, we can accurately analyse large amounts of information quickly and identify patterns that our team can investigate further.' While companies are ramping up efforts to catch offenders, a report from the Office of Rail and Road this month identified 'significant inconsistency' in how operators target fare-dodgers, which has led to unnecessary and unfair prosecutions. Lord Hendy, the rail minister, who put the cost of fare evasion in England outside London at £400m a year, said a planned new ticketing system as part of the nationalisation programme should reduce instances of people mistakenly buying the wrong tickets. However, for the thugs who push through – known as bumpers, jumpers and tailgaters – sturdier barriers are being created. Developed by Cubic Transportation Systems, the barriers stretch from the floor to shoulder height and use AI-aided scanning software to detect instances of fare-dodging. Cubic says the gates 'can accurately detect, record and flag fare evasion as it's happening, distinguishing between different types of fare evasion, such as pushing through and climbing under the paddles or tailgating'. Sir Sadiq Khan's TfL has not yet said if it will order the equipment. However, if they do, they may finally offer some solace to law-abiding passengers confronted by petty criminals cheating the system while regular staff, who are forbidden from staging physical interventions, look on.
Metro
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Fare dodger tells staff he'll ‘get away with it' before not getting away with it
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A fare dodger told staff he 'would get away with it' minutes before realising he wouldn't. In a clip shown on Channel 5's Fare Dodgers: At War with the Law, the passenger, shown wearing a black jacket and hood, is questioned by a revenue inspection officer after taking a journey for which he hadn't paid. The man, in a blasé attitude, tells the inspector he won't be able to stop him dodging fares, saying 'he will get away with it'. When he was finally handed a fine, he told staff he 'couldn't give a toss' andsaid he would go to court. He was issued with a fine totalling £55.60. If not paid within 21 days, the charge nearly doubles to £105.60. The passenger argued with the officer named Sam at the ticket gates inside London Waterloo. He is asked: 'So you're just going to fare evade and try and get away with it – is that what you are saying?' 'I will get away it', the defiant passenger replies. The fare dodger is promptly advised that footage of him and the conversation has been taped on camera and will be sent over to British Transport Police. But he still attempted to goad the officer into letting him off, telling him: 'You might as well let me go, man.' When asked his name and address, he replied: 'I don't even know how to spell my name, I'll be honest.' He was then shown threatening to walk out and, despite being reminded that he was being recorded, he said: 'That doesn't bother me. 'I don't know why I'm standing here. I could just walk away to be honest.' Worried that the passenger would force his way out of the barriers, the inspector calls security officers. After realising his escape route had been cut off, the fare evader relented and handed over his personal details, allowing the inspector to verify his identity. But when he is finally handed a fixed penalty notice, he defiantly answers: 'I couldn't give a toss. 'I'm not paying that.' He later qualified: 'I'm not paying for transport.' The inspector further explained that failure to pay may result in a prosecution being pursued. 'Lovely. I love that', the fare dodger replied. Remaining defiant, he continued: 'I'm not keeping it, because I'm not paying it. I'll go to court.' TfL said it uses an intelligence-led approach with advanced tools like an Irregular Travel Analysis Platform (ITAP). It combs through ticketing and journey data, passengers' information, CCTV and travel patterns to spot fare evaders racking up the biggest bills. Around 3.4 per cent of passengers on TfL services travel without paying the correct fare. More Trending The transport authority spent almost £22 million on a fare dodging crackdown last year. The Channel 5 series previously showed another fare dodger being caught in the act after evading £3,500 in unpaid tickets. He was found having used a card with no money on it to repeatedly open station gates without having paid a penny in fares. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Businessman led family vigilante attack on nephew for 'bringing drugs into mansion' MORE: Judge 'leaks woman's photos in Telegram group for sex workers' MORE: Dog walker 'beaten to death by man living off-grid while being hunted by police'
Metro
29-05-2025
- Metro
Tube 'fare dodger' caught swerving £3,500 in fares using a dodgy card
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A Tube fare evader was caught in action after he racked up more than £3,500 in unpaid tickets. The man was caught by Transport for London investigators at Surrey Quays station. He said he has been using a card his 'friend gave him' to travel for more than a year. The card had no money on it, but the ticket barriers accepted it every time. He was then able to push the exit gates open at stations without ever paying a penny as each tap resulted in a payment failure, MailOnline reports. However, investigators eventually caught on to the trick, and they were able to track him down on his journey to work using CCTV. The operation was captured on cameras as part of the Channel 5 documentary 'Fare Dodgers: At War with the Law,' which airs on Monday. He was asked in for an interview, where the TfL staff showed the man he now owes £3,573 for over 500 journeys taken in more than a year. Lisa, an investigator, questions the suspected fare dodger, who then changes his story, saying the card is not his and he 'found it.' Lisa says: 'Oh that's a whole different ball game now.' She then pulls out a scanner, which confirms that the card is faulty. When asked about whether he knew he owed TfL money for the travel, he replies: 'My friend told me you can use this card for travelling.' He eventually admits not paying for his morning journey after faced with evidence – and the total he has racked up, which 'might be a bit of a shock,' Lisa says. Lisa says as the reality sinks in: 'You have had that card for over a year and they have never been paid.' The man then apologises and signs a document admitting on more than 500 trips. But this isn't the end of the matter as it is now up to the TfL prosecution team to look into the case and decide what happens next. Elsewhere, the shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick decided to chase people at Stratford Tube station, where one man told him to 'f*** off' as he ran up to strangers he suspected of fare dodging. In a video posted on X, Jenrick walks a man to TfL staff, who tell the enthusiastic MP to 'just step to the side' as they deal with the situation. The transport authority spent almost £22 million on a fare dodging crackdown last year. Around 3.4% of passengers avoided paying for travel between April and December last year. TfL said it uses an intelligence-led approach with advanced tools like an Irregular Travel Analysis Platform (ITAP). It combs through ticketing and journey data, passengers' information, CCTV and travel patterns to spot fare evaders racking up the biggest bills. TfL recovered £400,000 through the courts after the prosecution of 360 worst evaders. More Trending One of the focus areas is contactless payment card fare evasion. Another fare dodger caught recently had to pay £1,472 in fines after avoiding payment on 202 journeys, TfL said. In a previous episode, a 'short farer' was caught after he had avoided paying £20,000 in tickets on his commute from Surrey to London Waterloo. The next episode of Fare Dodgers: At War with the Law is on Channel 5 airs at 9pm on Monday, June 2 on TV and on the streaming platform. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Londoners blame 'people not getting drunk anymore' for Gail's takeover of pub MORE: This London Underground horror getting a reboot is your ultimate travel nightmare MORE: Convicting man accused of setting fire to Quran could 'reintroduce blasphemy'
