Latest news with #LondonUnderground
The Herald Scotland
17 hours ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Fare evasion costs Transport for London £130m a year
The figure has fallen from 3.8% in the 2023/24 financial year. In April, TfL announced new measures aimed at slashing the figure to 1.5% by the end of the decade. These include targeting the most prolific fare evaders and using advanced technology. Sadiq Khan is driving a proud city into the ground. Lawbreaking is out of control. He's not acting. So, I did.👇 — Robert Jenrick (@RobertJenrick) May 29, 2025 Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick posted a video on social media on Thursday in which he confronted people who forced their way through the ticket barriers at Stratford station in east London. He asked one person 'do you think it's all right not to pay' and challenged another to 'go back through the barrier and pay'. Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live on Thursday, Mr Jenrick said staff 'weren't doing anything' to tackle evasion when he was at Stratford to film the video. 'They weren't either trained or didn't have the self-confidence to take action, and I think that's the issue sometimes,' he said. London Underground and Overground services operate from Stratford, as well as mainline rail services, the Elizabeth line and the DLR. Interventions with fare dodgers are involved in around half of reported incidents of violence and aggression towards frontline staff, according to TfL. Trade union the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) appeared to accuse Mr Jenrick of 'trying to score points' with the clip. It said in a statement: 'This incident was not only inappropriate but also potentially dangerous for passengers, staff and the individual involved. 'Fare evasion is a serious issue, but it must be tackled with professional, trained enforcement, not MPs trying to score points or social media clout on their daily commute.' Siwan Hayward, TfL's director of security, policing and enforcement, said the 'overwhelming majority' of passengers pay the correct fare, but there is 'a minority who do attempt to travel without a valid ticket, which is a criminal offence'. She went on: 'Fare evasion is unacceptable. That is why we are strengthening our capability to deter and detect fare evaders, including expanding our team of professional investigators to target the most prolific fare evaders across the network. 'This builds on the work of our team of more than 500 uniformed officers already deployed across the network to deal with fare evasion and other anti-social behaviour, keeping staff and customers safe. 'Fare evasion is not a victimless crime. It robs Londoners of vital investment in a safe, frequent and reliable transport network and we are committed to reducing the current rate of fare evasion to 1.5% by 2030.'
India Today
21 hours ago
- Lifestyle
- India Today
Indian woman eats with hands in London Tube. Viral video sparks debate
A debate on public decorum has ensued on the internet over a video of an Indian-origin woman who was seen eating curry and rice with her hands while talking on the phone aboard a London Underground 15-second clip, which was first posted on TikTok by user @ub1ub2, has now gone viral on Twitter after it was shared by user @ seated in the Tube, the woman ate a traditional meal with her hands while engaged in a loud phone conversation. As seen in the video, the woman was clearly unfazed by the presence of other passengers. 'RIP London,' read the caption of the video post. Some Twitter users also assumed that the plate of food kept on her lap contained biryani, and posted the video with the caption: 'So this is London tube - the new trend of eating biryani with bare hands is the next sensation.'The video, meanwhile, has triggered a wide spectrum of responses from social media users. Most criticised the act as 'unhygienic' and 'socially inappropriate', saying: 'Why do people need to eat on public transportation?'Another user added, 'It's sort of like eating while sitting on the toilet.'advertisementIn her defence, another user added, 'Asians and Indians eat rice and fish with their hands, so what? She's not bothering anyone except maybe the curry smell. It is rather pungent to someone not used to it. But no one around her seems to mind except the person videoing her. At least she's not running around stabbing or assaulting people.'The volume of her phone conversation also drew complaints, with several users commenting on the disruption caused to other passengers: 'It's extremely rude to take calls on transit.'What is your take on this?
The Independent
a day ago
- General
- The Independent
Watch: Robert Jenrick confronts TfL ‘fare dodgers' in social media video
Robert Jenrick has released a video of himself confronting alleged fare dodgers on the London Underground, as he claimed lawbreakers are 'chipping away at society'. The shadow justice secretary visited Paddington Station where he filmed several alleged fare dodgers appearing to break the law. The former Conservative leadership contender is also seen reporting a suspected fare dodger to officials, telling him: 'You're on camera, mate, you're bang to rights'. Mr Jenrick adds: 'The state needs to reassert itself, and go after lawbreakers.'
BBC News
2 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Robert Jenrick wants fare-dodgers video to 'shame people into action'
Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick has said he hopes his video of himself confronting fare evaders on the London Underground will "shame people into action".Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live's Matt Chorley, Jenrick said activities such as fare dodging along with graffiti and playing music on public transport were "chipping away at society".Asked if his party's policy of austerity was a contributing factor, Jenrick said he believed in being "honest about the mistakes of the last Conservative government".Responding to Jenrick's video, Transport for London (TfL) said fare evasion was "unacceptable" and that it was expanding its team of investigators to "target the most prolific fare evaders". In the video, which has had more than 3.5 million views on the social media platform X, Jenrick is seen challenging a number of people squeezing through barriers in an apparent effort to avoid paying the fare. Along with the video, he posted a message reading: "Sadiq Khan is driving a proud city into the ground. Lawbreaking is out of control. He's not acting. So, I did." Explaining his reasons for making the video, Jenrick said he was "sick to death of people fare dodging" and felt he needed to "highlight the issue". "It's about the authorities - in this instance Tfl or the police - not stepping up and not enforcing the rules," he said."It makes most people feel silly, feel foolish. Why are they paying for their fares on the Tube when others aren't doing so."Asked if he had sought permission from TfL to make a video on their premises, he replied "I didn't know that was their rule", adding: "They should be going after people breaking the law, not the rules." TfL said it aimed to reduce the rate of evasion, which costs the organisation more than £100m a year, to 1.5% by 2030. Last month, it reported that the evasion rate for 2024/25 was averaging 3.4%, down from 3.8% in the previous year. TfL also pointed to statistics suggesting levels of fare evasion in New York stood at 13%. Announcing a new fare evasion strategy earlier this month, TfL said it was using data and CCTV to analyse travel patterns to focus on "those who evade fares repeatedly". In the press release, TfL said it continued to "tackle blatant fare evasion such as gate-pushing" which it said created "an intimidating atmosphere for staff and customers".It added: "TfL is increasing the number of accredited enforcement officers on its network who can refuse entry and remove people from stations, and deploying them to locations with high prevalence of people pushing through gates." In recent months Jenrick has made similar videos on litter-dropping and theft of trade tools, leading to suggestions he is running an ongoing campaign to be Conservative Party stood in the last leadership contest but came second to Kemi if he still wanted to be Tory leader, he replied: "No, absolutely not... I'm just trying to do my job."He said Badenoch would lead his party into the next election, adding that the Tory Party had "been in tough spots before but has always bounced back". Jenrick was recently seen having lunch with Rupert Lowe, an independent MP who was expelled from Reform UK earlier this year. Asked if he would like Lowe to join the Conservatives, Jenrick said: "I want the Tory Party to be the natural home for any small-c conservatives in this country..."Rupert is somebody who has taken strong lines on things like border control, like crime, on how we build a more integrated country."However, Jenrick said he had not asked Lowe to join the party and Lowe "hasn't asked to". "Ultimately it's for him to decide what his future is and for Kemi, as leader of the party, to decide if he or anybody else is suitable to join us," he added.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Moment Robert Jenrick asks fare dodger if he is carrying a KNIFE as he confronts brazen passengers who jump Tube barriers
This is the moment Robert Jenrick confronted fare dodgers on the London Underground, asking if one of them was carrying a knife. The shadow justice secretary shared footage of him approaching three men at Stratford station in an attempt to show the extent of lawbreaking in the capital. He can be heard asking one of them if they have a knife on them - as he questions why they think it is alright not to pay. Mr Jenrick, who previously ran for leader of Conservative party, said: 'Do you want to go back and pay like everybody else?' He then said: 'But everyone else has to pay.' One of the alleged fare dodgers who was, wearing a black coat and baseball cap, told him to 'f*** off'. The shadow cabinet member then replies: 'You can say f*** off as much as you want.' Towards the end of the clip, Jenrick can be heard asking one of the men: 'You what, you're carrying a knife, did you say?' Mr Jenrick, whose justice secretary role does not cover crime, claimed London mayor Sadiq Khan is 'driving a proud city into the ground'. He captioned the video on X: 'Sadiq Khan is driving a proud city into the ground. Lawbreaking is out of control. He's not acting. So, I did.'
