The number of fare-dodging fines on the London Underground shot up to a years-long high – then dropped to a years-long low – in the months immediately after Robert Jenrick’s viral video.
Last May, Mr Jenrick had raked in millions of views online for confronting fare evaders on the Tube.
The next month, TfL staff dished out 1,588 Penalty Fare Notices (PFNs) on the Underground alone.
But by August, that number had fallen by two-thirds to just 503, by far the lowest monthly total in the last two years, according to FOI data obtained by GB News.
Following GB News’ report that fines had soared in June, TfL claimed it took fare evasion “extremely seriously”.
Mr Jenrick told The People’s Channel it was “good news”, adding: I’m very pleasantly surprised. It looks like if you actually shame the authorities into action, they can do something.
“And in this case, it looks like Sadiq Khan can actually do something if he puts his mind to it.”
But the latest figures have raised questions over just how committed London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan is to tackling petty crime on the capital’s transport networks.
“Sadiq Khan is only interested in tackling fare-dodging when there’s public pressure. He’s let it spiral out of control and it’s costing the law-abiding majority,” the Newark MP told Britain’s News Channel on Wednesday.
GRAPHED: How did PFN levels change after Robert Jenrick’s video?
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GB NEWS
And Alex Wilson, who represents Mr Jenrick’s new party Reform UK at City Hall, said Sir Sadiq and TfL’s “claim that they are taking the issue seriously is a complete lie”.
He told GB News: “For those of us who use the London Underground on a regular basis, the massive scale of fare evasion is perfectly evident – not a day goes by when Londoners don’t experience thugs barging through barriers, and they are right to be furious about it.
“The Mayor and TfL shouldn’t need Members of Parliament to publicly highlight this to take action. Their claim that they are taking the issue seriously is a complete lie.
“We know from Reform UK’s investigative work at the London Assembly that station staff are actively discouraged from enforcing the law against fare evaders, and most of the time do not bother to record instances of it.
CRIME IN LONDON – READ MORE:
‘Sadiq Khan is only interested in tackling fare-dodging when there’s public pressure,’ Robert Jenrick told GB News on Wednesday
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GETTY
“The fact is that despite his empty words, Sadiq Khan has failed monumentally to tackle fare evasion.
“With Laila Cunningham as Mayor, there will be a reckoning against those who think they can get away with crime at any level.
“Sadiq Khan is driving London into the ground on many fronts, and for the first time, a serious contender has stepped forward to put it right.”
In the last full year from TfL’s FOI data, an average of 1,108 PFNs are handed out on the Tube every month.
And in the two months after the August low, fine rates rose back to exactly that average.
But the drop does not appear to be an annual event – in August 2024, Underground staff dished out 854 PFNs.
TfL has long warned that fare evasion is “not a victimless crime”, and has pledged its commitment to reducing the rate of fare evasion to 1.5 per cent by 2030.
TfL has pledged its commitment to reducing the rate of fare evasion to 1.5 per cent by 2030
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GETTY
Fines are set at £100, and sink to £50 if they are paid within 21 days.
In a statement, TfL said: “We take fare evasion extremely seriously. It takes away vital revenue from us that should be invested in a safe, reliable transport network.
“We know that people who evade paying the correct fare cause the majority of abuse and are aggression experienced by our customer-facing teams.
“There is also a clear overlap between people who evade paying the correct fare and wider criminality our network.
“Our team of over 500 revenue inspectors operate across our entire transport network day and night, checking tickets, penalising fare evaders and using new technology and intelligence to identify anyone travelling without the correct ticket or payment for the journey they are making.”