Major UK train operator launches crackdown on fare dodging loophole at London stations

A major train operator has launched a significant crackdown on passengers deliberately purchasing tickets for only a portion of their journey, a practice known as "short-faring".

South Western Railway (Swr) identified widespread misuse of electronic tickets by individuals engaged in this form of fare evasion.

The company found that up to 95 per cent of barcode tickets – which can be bought and displayed on a phone – purchased for the four-minute route between Vauxhall and London Waterloo were being used fraudulently. This widespread abuse is putting an estimated £1 million of revenue at risk.

These cheaper tickets, valid for the short Vauxhall to Waterloo journey, are often used to open barriers at London Waterloo, despite passengers having travelled from much further afield on Swr’s network, which extends to Devon and Dorset.

In response, Swr has deployed additional revenue protection staff at Vauxhall. Their role is to ensure that all electronic tickets are scanned upon entry to the station.

This measure allows staff at London Waterloo to identify fare dodgers, as an unscanned electronic ticket from Vauxhall indicates the passenger has travelled from a more distant location.

Passengers caught without the correct train ticket must pay a £100 Penalty Fare – halved if paid within 21 days – and buy a single ticket for their journey.

Those found to be repeat offenders can face prosecution.

Since June, Swr’s trial has identified 153 short-faring offences, compared with seven during the same period last year.

Recent cases include a passenger who evaded £20,000 over three years while travelling between Surrey and London, while another owed more than £11,000 after travelling from Hampshire to the capital for more than four years.

Early data suggests about a third of passengers previously identified by Swr as conducting the short-faring scam are now purchasing the correct ticket for their journey.

The trial has demonstrated how quickly some fare dodgers adapt their tactics, with one alternative SWR station in London seeing an 89 per cent increase in barcode ticket purchases.

Matthew Winnie, Swr and 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.”

Industry body the Rail Delivery Group estimates that at least £350 million to £400 million of annual fares revenue is lost to fraud and ticketless travel each year.

Swr, which said fare evasion costs it about £40 million annually, said it has cut the practice by 67 per cent since 2017.