Conservative MP Richard Holden has issued a blistering wake-up call to authorities, warning that unchecked fare dodging is a symptom of a “wider issue about the state of the country” where law-abiding citizens are being left behind.
Speaking to GB News, the Shadow Transport Secretary argued that the failure to prosecute transit cheats is demoralising the public and fuelling a culture of impunity on Britain’s streets and railways.
Mr Holden insisted that fare evasion is not a victimless crime, but rather a gateway to the “widespread anti-social behaviour” that plagues commuters daily.
Speaking to The People’s Channel this morning, he said: “We have to take this very seriously. Fare dodging is part of a much bigger picture of what many of your viewers will experience, whether on the bus or the train, widespread anti-social behaviour.
“There are already laws in place that allow people to be prosecuted, but there’s no point having those laws if they aren’t properly enforced and people aren’t being caught in the first place.
“That’s why we need to make sure the resources are there and properly targeted.
“It really frustrates people when they see fare dodging, because the rest of us are paying our way.
“Whether it’s welfare abuse on one side or fare evasion on the other, people see others swinging the lead instead of contributing.
Richard Holden said that fare dodgers ‘should be taken very seriously’
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GB NEWS
“I’m very clear on this: if people aren’t paying their way, they should face the full force of the law.
“But that requires police officers on our trains and on our streets to enforce it.
“Otherwise, anti-social behaviour will continue unchecked, and people will carry on with impunity.
“That’s incredibly demoralising, and I think it speaks to a wider issue about the state of the country particularly in London where people feel unheard.
Robert Jenrick confronted fare dodgers on the London Underground
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X/ROBERTJENRICK“We have a mayor who doesn’t listen, a Government that doesn’t listen.
“Local councils focus on things like 20-mile-an-hour speed limits instead of delivering basic services. We need to see serious change.”
This comes after a GB News exclusive proved that 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 Britain’s News Channel.
Following GB News’ report that fines had soared in June, TfL claimed it took fare evasion “extremely seriously”.