Latest news with #FareEvaders
The Sun
11 hours ago
- The Sun
Moment fare dodger tells rail inspectors ‘don't touch me' in tense clash after ‘falling £1.30 short for his ticket'
THIS is the tense moment a fare dodger told ticket inspectors to not touch him after falling short of being able to afford to travel. The passenger was confronted by revenue protection inspectors at Weybridge station in Surrey after using a discounted ticket for under 15-year-olds, despite being older. 9 9 9 South Western Railway inspectors were alerted after the ticket - which provides half-price travel for children aged five to 15 compared to a full adult fare - pinged at the gateline. The incredible moment was captured by film crews for the latest episode of Channel 5's Fare Evaders: At War with the Law. Shocking footage shows how the young fare dodger refuses to present his ticket after being asked to do so by inspectors. When asked if his ticket was a child ticket by revenue protection officers Sharon and Carlos, the fare dodger brazenly admits to having a ticket but rejects multiple requests to show it. As the tense moment begins to boil over, the young fare dodger exclaims: "You can't actually physically touch me." Then, he begins to make his way along the walkway over the tracks at the station, heading towards one of the platforms. Despite other officers stepping in to try and help stop the cheat, he appears insistent to make it to his train without showing a valid ticket. Finally, officers manage to block him at the top of the staircase of one platform, confronting him continuously to present his ticket. At one point, an exasperated ticket checker asks: "Why don't you just show us your ticket?", to which the fare dodger replies: "Because I don't need to." Despite his continued protest, the young fare dodger eventually gives in, admitting he had bought a child's ticket, despite being over the age of 15. Top Tory Robert Jenrick becomes 'bobby on the beat' as he confronts fare-dodgers on the Tube Sharon explained that the traveller had been short of buying the adult fare by around £1.30 and had therefore opted to buy the cheaper child ticket instead. As a result, the fare dodger was issued with an "unpaid fare notice", which is the lowest penalty enforced in these situations. It means the young passenger was able to travel without a ticket on the day but he would need to pay the fine within 21 days. Sharon explained: "A colleague's been really fair with him. "He's issued an unpaid fare notice, which is the lowest penalty we can give and it's just the price of the ticket that he should have bought." However, if he failed to pay it within the time frame, he would have faced the risk of prosecution. 9 9 9 The show explained that there had been a "huge rise in passengers trying to get away with using half-price tickets they're not entitled to". Another inspector filmed for the show said how sometimes he and other staff are abused verbally by travellers. He said: "Sometimes we get bad language towards us, they will just push through and then we've got to stop them. "We do get that level of abuse from them. And these are kids that are between 14 and 16 and they're effing and jeffing at us. "And I'm like, well, hang on." He added: "You do get people who are unhappy about being spoken to. "No one wants trouble. You hope that everyone is going to be nice, but not everyone is the same, are they? "But then you get customers who do actually appreciate it as well." Just last month, South Western Railway revealed it had recovered a total of £3.4 million from revenue protection work last year. Unpaid fares cost the railway nearly £240 million each year - with South Western Railway estimating roughly 4.6 per cent of users of its network travel without a valid ticket. A recent poll by YouGov found 68 per cent disapproved of deliberate fare evasion, adding they believed it was a serious problem that should be penalised. 9 9 9
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Tense moment fare dodger is confronted by ticket inspectors after 'falling £1.30 short for his ticket'
This is the tense moment a young fare dodger was confronted by rail ticket inspectors before trying to push past them while wrongly travelling on a child's ticket. The passenger was caught at Weybridge station in Surrey using the ticket which gives a half-price discount on adult prices for children aged five to 15. South Western Railway revenue protection inspectors intercepted him on the bridge over the platforms after an issue was flagged at the gates when he went through. But when the team demanded that he show them his ticket, he refused to do so before trying to force his way pass them to walk down onto the platform. Other officers stepped in to assist and try to block the passenger at the top of the stairs, as he brazenly told them: 'You can't actually physically touch me.' But after a stand-off, the man eventually relented and showed them his child's ticket, claiming that he had bought it because he was £1.30 short of the adult fare. Camera crews captured the moment he was stopped in the latest episode of Channel 5's Fare Evaders: At War With The Law which airs next Monday at 9pm. The man was issued with an unpaid fare notice, which gives permission to travel and pay the fare within 21 days. If unpaid, passengers face the risk of prosecution. The documentary revealed how the railway industry has noticed a rise in passengers aged over 15 trying to get away with using half-price child tickets. In a clip shared exclusively with MailOnline, two South Western Railway inspectors called Sharon and Carlos confront a young man who refuses to show his ticket. What are the rules on UK child rail tickets? Children aged five to 15 get a 50 per cent discount against the adult price on most National Rail train tickets. Children aged under five can travel for free, when with a fare-paying adult. But anyone aged over 15 travelling on a child's ticket could receive a penalty fare if caught by an inspector. Within the Transport for London (TfL) area, children can travel for free on most trains up to the age of ten when accompanied by an adult. Those aged 11 to 15 can get 50 per cent off their journeys within the TfL area with a Zip Oyster photocard. Carlos approaches the passenger after an issue was flagged at the ticket barriers, asking him: 'Have you got a child ticket? Can I have a look at your ticket?' But the passenger replies: 'No.' Carlos then said: 'Can I see your ticket? You don't have a ticket?' And the man responds: 'No, I do.' Sharon then stepped in, saying: 'Yeah we need to see it. Just needs to look at it.' As tensions mount, the passenger says: 'You can't actually physically touch me' Sharon says the inspectors are not touching him, and other officers step in to assist – telling each other to ensure their body-worn cameras are switched on. One of the team tells him: 'You're not going down on the platform mate and you're not travelling. Why don't you just show us a ticket?' The man responds: 'Because I don't need to.' But the inspector insists: 'Yes you do.' The young man eventually gives in, admitting he does not have the correct ticket. Sharon then tells the camera: 'It seems that the young lad was short of money. About £1.30 for an adult ticket, so he's purchased a child ticket, but he's over the age of 15. 'A colleague's been really fair with him. He's issued an unpaid fare notice, which is the lowest penalty we can give and it's just the price of the ticket that he should have bought.' An unpaid fare notice gives permission to travel and pay the fare in 21 days. If unpaid, passengers face the risk of prosecution. Another inspector says of his job: 'Sometimes we get bad language towards us, they will just push through and then we've got to stop them. 'We do get that level of abuse from them. And these are kids that are between 14 and 16 and they're effing and jeffing at us. And I'm like, well, hang on.' He adds: 'You do get people who are unhappy about being spoken to. No one wants trouble. You hope that everyone is going to be nice, but not everyone is the same, are they? But then you get customers who do actually appreciate it as well.' A further inspector then says: 'The gateliner was saying it's a huge deterrent us being here. He actually said 'SWR 1 Fare Evaders 0'.' The clip features in episode six of the documentary, which also showed the moment an Elizabeth line fare dodger was caught in the act by ticket inspectors after evading £1,650 in ticket costs over nearly 250 journeys. The passenger who regularly commuted from Harold Wood or Romford to Stratford was confronted with 35 pages of evidence dating back eight months. A passenger is spoken to by investigators at London Waterloo station after only buying a ticket from Vauxhall, as he is finally caught after evading nearly £20,000 in ticket costs One of his common methods while travelling through East London was to pay for a fare in Zones 2 to 3 only, rather than the full fare for his journey in Zones 2 to 6. On the morning of the sting, the passenger was caught not touching in on the card After being taken to a private room for questioning, the man eventually hands over the Oyster card and is told he could be taken to court for the offences. The man was then allowed to go on his way but told he would continue to be tracked on the Oyster card – and the case was passed to TfL's prosecution team. MailOnline has already covered a series of incidents featured in the documentary, which comes after Robert Jenrick highlighted fare dodging at Stratford last month. The shadow justice secretary posted a video on social media in which he confronted people who forced their way through the ticket barriers at the station. Separately, a report released on June 4 found fare evasion is becoming 'normalised', with train staff telling the inquiry that they are struggling to cope with 'aggressive' passengers who refuse to buy tickets. Travellers are using 'a range of techniques to persistently' underpay or avoid paying and see it as a 'victimless crime', according to the Office of Road and Rail (ORR). Meanwhile TikTok influencers are brazenly showing Tube passengers how to illegally travel for free by 'bumping' through the station ticket barriers . Fare Dodgers: At War With The Law is on Channel 5 on Monday, June 23 at 9pm
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Moment commuter who dodged fares for eight months is confronted by investigaros after racking up £1,650 in unpaid tickets
This is the moment an Elizabeth line fare dodger was caught in the act by ticket inspectors after evading £1,650 in ticket costs over nearly 250 journeys. The passenger who regularly commuted from Harold Wood or Romford to Stratford was confronted with 35 pages of evidence dating back eight months. One of his common methods while travelling through East London was to pay for a fare in Zones 2 to 3 only, rather than the full fare for his journey in Zones 2 to 6. Stratford station is in Zone 2, while Harold Wood and Romford are both in Zone 6. There is a big price difference between travelling in Z2-3 instead of Z2-6 - at £33.50 against £55.90 for a weekly travelcard, or £128.70 and £214.70 for a monthly pass. The annual cost is £1,340 against £2,236. When paying for a single journey, the cost is £2.10 peak or £2.00 off-peak for Z2-3; and £3.20 peak or £2.70 off-peak for Z2-6. On the morning of the sting, the passenger was caught not touching in on the card reader when starting his journey in an apparent attempt to avoid paying entirely. Camera crews captured the moment he was eventually stopped in the latest episode of Channel 5's Fare Evaders: At War With The Law which airs next Monday at 9pm. The clip begins with Transport for London (TfL) revenue protection officers revealing their plan to confront the suspect at Harold Wood station at 5.30am. They have been tracking the suspect after a rule break on an Oyster card was picked up by TfL's Irregular Travel Analysis Platform (Itap), a detection system that identifies fare evasion and revenue loss from patterns in ticketing and passenger data. The investigators say they have totted up £1,651 in unpaid fares across 245 journeys that he had not paid full price for – and wait for him to arrive at the station. After one of them spots him getting off a bus outside the station, they see him walk through the ticket gates and intercept him on a bridge between the platforms. As he approaches, the investigator asks: 'Hi buddy, just need to do a ticket check on your Oyster card.' The man replies: 'I don't have Oyster card.' But the investigator replies: 'You do - so what did you use to come here?' The man insists he used a 'bank card.' However, the investigator says: 'No, I've got a case against you, I see you coming through with the coat all the time. What Oyster card do you use?' The passenger continues to insist he uses a bank card, but he is told: 'You do. So where are you travelling to today?' A passenger is spoken to by investigators at London Waterloo station after only buying a ticket from Vauxhall, as he is finally caught after evading nearly £20,000 in ticket costs When the man replies 'Stratford', the investigator says: 'I know you go to Stratford. On this Oyster card number you go to Stratford and come back all the time. Have you got any ID with you please?' The traveller gives them his name and address but not his Oyster card, claiming: 'I don't have it anymore.' The investigator then tells him: 'I know where you buy your ticket. I know everything about the Oyster card. I will show you all the journeys in a moment.' And the investigator's colleague adds: 'Look, listen, it's not going to go away. The other option is we get the police down and they can come and deal with it, alright? 'So we know you've got an Oyster card, you might as well show us the Oyster card. At the moment you're being obstructive, OK?' After being taken to a private room for questioning, the man eventually hands over the Oyster card and is told he could be taken to court for the offences. The man was then allowed to go on his way but told he would continue to be tracked on the Oyster card – and the case was passed to TfL's prosecution team. MailOnline has already covered a series of incidents featured in the documentary, which comes after Robert Jenrick highlighted fare dodging at Stratford last month. A fare dodger is finally caught at Preston Road station in North West London after he avoided paying for more than 200 journeys using a concession card registered to a female relative The shadow justice secretary posted a video on social media in which he confronted people who forced their way through the ticket barriers at the station. Separately, a report released on June 4 found fare evasion is becoming 'normalised', with train staff telling the inquiry that they are struggling to cope with 'aggressive' passengers who refuse to buy tickets. Travellers are using 'a range of techniques to persistently' underpay or avoid paying and see it as a 'victimless crime', according to the Office of Road and Rail (ORR). Meanwhile TikTok influencers are brazenly showing Tube passengers how to illegally travel for free by 'bumping' through the station ticket barriers.
