From the
Basildon Canvey Southend EchoMORE than a dozen rail passengers were caught dodging fares on a single day in south Essex.
Officers from British Transport Police were stationed at Basildon train station on Tuesday to crackdown on people failing to pay for tickets.
They revealed they caught 16 passengers who either did not pay or have the correct ticket.
Among them were two people who are suspected of longer term fraud.
BTP▸ said the duo were now the subject of a “more detailed” investigation.
It comes less than a week after Essex rail operator Greater Anglia revealed it raked in around £4m in fines last year due to rail fare dodging.
Bosses said there was around £450,000 worth of fraudulent delay repayment claims recovered.
I don't know Basildon ... but if it's anything like certain stations elsewhere with which I am more familiar, the news is more that people were caught than that there's a problem with people avoiding fares.
Fraudulent Delay / Repay figure is interesting, as is the "fines" figure. I suspect "fines" might be a shorthand for penalty fares, as I undestood that fines are issued by (and paid to) courts. Or could that the £4 million in victim compensation payments, and payments actually made rather than being levied but not recovered.
I am not one for a "police state" approach, but I do wonder about the flimsy ticket checks, and indeed the difficulty of buying tickets (and the right one for you) at times, and I wonder if a few more staff would allow for the collection of a lot more money, and indeed help encourage extra passengers who fear using the train because of unstaffed starting stations and a lack of confidence. But with policy seeming to be to cut costs, rather than creating the best bottom line, I doubt we will see more people around.
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