Modern fare dodgers hunted down by rail bosses

[SouthEastBuses]

Modern fare dodgers hunted down by rail bosses

One operator warned fare dodgers they leave trails of "digital breadcrumbs” that are leading to prosecutions of about 1,000 people a month

www.telegraph.co.uk

...Northern has warned fare dodgers they are leaving a “trail of digital breadcrumbs” that is seeing them prosecute around 1,000 fraudsters every month.

The company has established a Digital Fraud Investigation Team to look in detail at customers’ data and see if any suspicious patterns point to fraudulent activity.

Set up in 2021 in response to the surge in digital ticket sales, post-pandemic, it consists of statistical analysts and investigators with a legal background.

Northern works closely with Trainline, the most popular rail ticket retailer, to collect information on passengers’ travel habits.

In the year to March 2023, the company investigated 108,681 reports of attempted fare evasion...

 

[alistairlees]

The article says that there has been “a reduction in guards and ticket inspectors on many services”. Is this correct?

 

[Haywain]

The article says that there has been “a reduction in guards and ticket inspectors on many services”. Is this correct?

It's probably referring to DOO routes.

 

[Krokodil]

And cutbacks in RPI coverage over the years too.

 

[SouthEastBuses]

The article says that there has been “a reduction in guards and ticket inspectors on many services”. Is this correct?

To an extent, yes. One of my local TOCs, Thameslink, is DOO (Driver Only Operated - No Guard nor Ticket Inspector) and I have never seen on a ticket inspector onboard once.

I wouldn't count Southern as completely DOO on the other hand - despite DOO, there's always a ticket inspector onboard (Southern calls the ticket inspectors as OBS - On Board Supervisor). However, even then, Southern's OBS don't always tend to check tickets, and I wouldn't count them as RPI either as some OBS happily sell tickets to passengers onboard (and this is despite the fact that Southern's network is 100% penalty fared)

 

[Haywain]

To an extent, yes. One of my local TOCs, Thameslink, is DOO (Driver Only Operated - No Guard nor Ticket Inspector) and I have never seen on a ticket inspector onboard once.

I saw one on a Thameslink service on Good Friday, so they are out there.

 

[SouthEastBuses]

I saw one on a Thameslink service on Good Friday, so they are out there.

I'm not saying Thameslink never have ticket inspectors (@Hadders sees them quite often, and his local TOC also is Thameslink just like me), all it is that from all the journeys I've made on Thameslink so far, I am yet to encounter a ticket inspector.

 

[spag23]

In 40 years of Thameslink commuting (till 2019), I think my ticket has been inspected about once a year. And near-zero on the associated Tube journeys.

 

[londonbridge]

I'm not saying Thameslink never have ticket inspectors (@Hadders sees them quite often, and his local TOC also is Thameslink just like me), all it is that from all the journeys I've made on Thameslink so far, I am yet to encounter a ticket inspector.

Same here, I can’t remember the last time (if indeed ever) I’ve been checked on a Thameslink train.

 

[GatwickDepress]

One of my security guards was previously a revenue inspector with Thameslink until she was let go shortly after Govia took over.

Used to see them train-hop quite often between Gatwick Airport and East Croydon, but I haven't had my tickets checked on Thameslink in almost a decade of fairly regular travel on the Brighton line. I wonder if it's any different north of the river.

 

[VC00]

One of my security guards was previously a revenue inspector with Thameslink until she was let go shortly after Govia took over.

Used to see them train-hop quite often between Gatwick Airport and East Croydon, but I haven't had my tickets checked on Thameslink in almost a decade of fairly regular travel on the Brighton line. I wonder if it's any different north of the river.

They only seem to operate on the Great northern and medway services

 

[Peter Mugridge]

They only seem to operate on the Great northern and medway services

I had an on board ticket check between London Bridge and East Croydon a few weeks ago.

 

[yorksrob]

Almost every Northern Rail train I travel on has a ticket check.

 

[alistairlees]

It's probably referring to DOO routes.

Have there been any new DOO routes recently though (other than Southern going to OBS, which still keeps what will look like a guard to most people on the train)?

And cutbacks in RPI coverage over the years too.

Are there fewer inspectors now than (say) 5 years ago? If so, any idea how many? I am asking because I don't know, not because I am challenging your statement, btw. I'm asking about inspectors, not inspections, though.

 

[Haywain]

Have there been any new DOO routes recently though (other than Southern going to OBS, which still keeps what will look like a guard to most people on the train)?

you know what they say - never let the truth get in the way of a good story!

 

[185143]

I note comments about the problem being exacerbated due to two thirds of Northern stations being unstaffed.

Isn't this one of the things the RMT are currently fighting against?

 

[Haywain]

I note comments about the problem being exacerbated due to two thirds of Northern stations being unstaffed.

Isn't this one of the things the RMT are currently fighting against?

They are fighting against further cuts to staff numbers, in whatever form. However, I could help but laugh a little at Mr Lynch's suggestion that staffing stations somehow prevents fare evasion.

 

[yorksrob]

I wish there was someone to stop Northern Rail from weazling their way out of their responsibilities, as when they stranded me at Leeds in the middle of the night and refused to even acknowledge that their train had been late.

 

[MotCO]

The Comments section which accompanied that article showed that many passengers thought that they could always pay on board. I know that the position is confusing - e.g. penalty fare areas, compulsory ticket areas, no ticket machines etc, but clearly the general public do not always realise that you should have a ticket before you board unless you don't have to.

 

[WesternLancer]

To an extent, yes. One of my local TOCs, Thameslink, is DOO (Driver Only Operated - No Guard nor Ticket Inspector) and I have never seen on a ticket inspector onboard once.

This is a good point, yet T-Link cases I would say count for a fair number of the cases seeking help on the forum, certainly more than the proportion of passengers they carry as a share of the national network I would have thought. So staff are out there catching ppl for fare evasion / wrong tickets on T-Link services.

 

[Krokodil]

Some of the commenters are saying "if the service was better, people wouldn't dodge..."

This reply is brilliant:

To the commenters condoning fare evasion: my public services are worse than the railways. Can I dodge my income tax please?

 

[johntea]

One odd side effect I have noticed regarding the growing use of digital tickets on board is the guards seem to have actually given up bothering to inspect and mark paper based tickets, the other week I noticed after presenting my ticket I had actually completely by accident shown them a ticket from a)a week before and b)the return portion - I was on the outward journey! (I'm fairly consistent with a paper based ticket at the moment as I use PlusBus on top which will hopefully be going digital at some point this year!)

I guess they're just keen to move on and collect their next 2p from scanning a ticket! (Northern)

 

[Hadders]

I've seen RPIs on board Thameslink services, including a ticket inspection between London Bridge and Blackfriars in the evening peak last week!

Many Thameslink stations have barriers, at my local station they were manned at 22:00 last week when I finished my journey. I've also noticed that CCST tickets are marked less frequently, although there are far fewer tickets of this type out there these days.

 

[island]

I've seen RPIs on board Thameslink services, including a ticket inspection between London Bridge and Blackfriars in the evening peak last week!

I've also see them in that area, they head straight for first class and rarely fail to issue a few Penalty Fares there.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Thameslink (Midland section) see ticket inspection on board relatively frequently - 3 times in the last month or so , and at random times too. Both uniformed and plain clothes.

Always get some "business" ......

 

[Snow1964]

I'm not saying Thameslink never have ticket inspectors (@Hadders sees them quite often, and his local TOC also is Thameslink just like me), all it is that from all the journeys I've made on Thameslink so far, I am yet to encounter a ticket inspector.

That is clearly a problem, if perception is likely to only see them once a year, then average person will soon work out that a £100 penalty is lot cheaper than 100+ tickets at few pounds each.

If going to have effective deterrent need to be upping the on train ticket inspection rates to minimum of 1 a month, and ideally more like 1 every few days.

 

[Krokodil]

One odd side effect I have noticed regarding the growing use of digital tickets on board is the guards seem to have actually given up bothering to inspect and mark paper based tickets, the other week I noticed after presenting my ticket I had actually completely by accident shown them a ticket from a)a week before and b)the return portion - I was on the outward journey! (I'm fairly consistent with a paper based ticket at the moment as I use PlusBus on top which will hopefully be going digital at some point this year!)

I guess they're just keen to move on and collect their next 2p from scanning a ticket! (Northern)

You do end up juggling pens and devices

 

[hkstudent]

I've seen RPIs on board Thameslink services, including a ticket inspection between London Bridge and Blackfriars in the evening peak last week!

Many Thameslink stations have barriers, at my local station they were manned at 22:00 last week when I finished my journey. I've also noticed that CCST tickets are marked less frequently, although there are far fewer tickets of this type out there these days.

But interestingly Southeastern is still relatively unmanneed over most metro stations and barrier left open, and literally no ticket inspections.

 

[Hadders]

On a network like Thameslink it is never going to be possible or feasible to check every ticket on-board. Let's remember that on a typical return journey there are at least 6 opportunities for a ticket to be checked:

At the starting station on the outward journey
Onboard the train during the outward journey
At the destination station on the outward journey
At the starting station on the return journey
Onboard the train during the return journey
At the destination station on the return journey

Historically off-peak return tickets are 10p or £1 more expensive than a single so if one of these checks takes place the railway effectively gets its revenue. This won't always pick up 'doughnutting' but overall it's a pretty effective revenue protection practice that goes back to British Rail days.

Nowadays digital ticketing and online purchasing means it's possible for fraud investigation to take place in the 'back office' to identify patterns of behaviour that look abnormal (for example someone buying short distance tickets either end of a long distance journey and comparing the times the tickets are used at barrier lines to enter and exit the station). Resource can then be targeted to intercept these individuals.