Extra-high ticket barriers to trap Tube fare dodgers
Up to 100,000 fare dodgers who travel on the Tube each day face a potential crackdown following the unveiling of extra-high ticket barriers that use artificial intelligence (AI) to trap offenders.
The technology is designed to identify tailgating cheats who push through barriers behind paying passengers, according to developer Cubic Transportation Systems.
The gates use AI-aided scanning software to detect instances of fare-dodging and immediately alert nearby guards while providing a record of the offence.
Stretching from the floor to shoulder height, US company Cubix has designed the gates to stop wrongdoers from sliding beneath or jumping over them.
Fare avoiders who manage to get into a station and take a free ride face getting stuck on the wrong side of the barrier as they seek to escape.
Transport for London (TfL) lost an estimated £130m in revenue to fare dodgers in 2023, leading Sir Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, to raise ticketing fines to £100.
Credit: Cubic
TfL declined to say if it would order the equipment, which will go on display at the Transport Ticketing Global 2025 trade fair in London next week.
However, its technology and data teams are understood to be exploring the use of AI in the battle against fare evasion.
TfL, which also runs buses, overground trains, the Docklands Light Railway and trams, said around 3.8pc of passengers were estimated to be guilty of fare evasion last year.
While the rate of offending is well below the 13pc seen on the New York subway, it says the trend deprives Londoners of 'investment in a safe, frequent and reliable transport service' and has pledged to reduce the rate to 1.5pc.
TfL already deploys in-house intelligence software to identify suspicious patterns of travel, though the effort focusses on offences involving contactless payments. Some 414 Tube passengers were investigated in 2024, leading to the recovery of £363,000 in lost fares.
For more physical forms of fare evasion, however, TfL is generally reliant on staff detecting offences and informing enforcement officers who may seek to catch the culprit at a later date, often with the help of the British Transport Police.
Cubic said that the FEnX Fare Gate, by contrast, 'can accurately detect, record and flag fare evasion as it's happening, distinguishing between different types of fare evasion, such as pushing through or climbing under the paddles or tailgating'.
In its pitch to companies, the US firm said that the gate's 'advanced technology stops fare evasion in its tracks, protecting your revenue while maintaining smooth passenger flow'.
It added: 'Our intelligent systems ensure authorised access only, giving you complete peace of mind.'
Cubic has also developed technology that can alter the force required to push through gates, meaning that barriers at stations where fare dodging is a major issue can be set to prevent miscreant travellers from forcing them open through brute force.
The company said there was no danger of innocent commuters being wrongly identified as offenders, with the gates able to distinguish between tailgaters and slower-moving passengers who may be laden with shopping or accompanied by a child.
The barriers also feature touch-free access and recognise when people need more time, Cubic said, making it easier for passengers with disabilities or pushing prams to move through stations.
The gates will not capture or disclose personally identifiable information or biometric data such as facial features or fingerprints, it said.
Cubic has been involved in London transport since the 1970s and has already played a significant role in upgrading the Tube, having been part of the consortium that won a contract to introduce the Oyster Card in 1998.
That system was introduced partly to curb fare evasion, with a substantial portion of the Underground network gated for the first time. It was followed by contactless bank card swiping on buses in 2012, which was extended to the Tube two years later.
Barriers were upgraded to allow Apple Pay in 2019.
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