"One in 20 dodging train fares"

[whole diary]

[bobm]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page)

Up to one in 20 rail passengers could be travelling without a valid ticket on some routes, according to new research.

A sample of more than 23,000 South West Trains passengers found as many as 5.5% has not paid the correct fare.

The study carried out in Autumn 2015 found forged tickets, misuse of child fares and passengers using tickets at the wrong time.  The problem is estimated to cost the franchise £25m in lost revenue each year.

The research, carried out for the Department for Transport, estimated the proportion of passengers without a valid ticket as being between 2.7% and 5.5%.

In general, longer-distance and non-London services had lower ticketless travel.

The London Waterloo to Weymouth line saw 1.5% of passengers without the correct ticket, compared with 4.6% on trains from London to Shepperton/Kingston.

Ticketless travel was also found to be most prevalent after 19:00 on weekdays, with an average rate of 5.1%.

The research was carried out over 15 days in October and November.

[LiskeardRich]

Only 1 in 20. On some branchline journeys I've witnessed the guard just goes and takes a seat and no attempt at ticket sales, despite no ticketing facilities, therefore probably the opposite 1 in 20 having tickets (tickets bought online, return legs etc) as most are walk on day trips

[grahame]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page)

Up to one in 20 rail passengers could be travelling without a valid ticket on some routes, according to new research.

A sample of more than 23,000 South West Trains passengers found as many as 5.5% has not paid the correct fare.

I would be very interested to know the split between
* People intentionally not or underpaying
* People making mistakes and so underpaying
* People who have no opportunity to pay the correct fare
* People who are overpaying

[paul7575]

I assume the source is this report, part of the franchise ITT^▸ (Invitation to Tender) documentation:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/533375/swf-ticketless-travel-survey-final-report.pdf
which naturally provides much more detail than the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page)'s snapshot.

Obviously one of the major holes in any such survey is the people who do a runner as soon as they see any evidence of either a TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) RPI^▸ (Revenue Protection Inspector (or Retail Price Index, depending on the context)), or a contracted survey team...

Paul

[TaplowGreen]

Doesn't surprise me at all, on LTV^▸ (London [and] Thames Valley) services the sight of a guard or Revenue Protection spook is a rare thing indeed these days.

[Surrey 455]

Ticketless travel was also found to be most prevalent after 19:00 on weekdays, with an average rate of 5.1%.

7pm is about the time that SWT^▸ (South West Trains) open the barriers at some stations so not a complete surprise to me.

[johnneyw]

I've seen massive revenue loss on the Severn Beach line, despite some clear efforts to address the situation in recent times. Peak time ticket sales kiosks at the busiest stations (as at Filton Abbeywood on the Filton Bank) do not seem to have been tried here. Perhaps an experiment at Clifton Down station?

[simonw]

With advances in technology, I'm sure that big brother will be able to help out the train companies in tracking fare dodgers.

Camera's with facial recognition systems, tracking mobile phone movements, card payments and ticket purchases.

Scary I know!

[johnneyw]

With advances in technology, I'm sure that big brother will be able to help out the train companies in tracking fare dodgers.

Camera's with facial recognition systems, tracking mobile phone movements, card payments and ticket purchases.

Scary I know!

I agree. For myself, a ticket issuing/checking presence is the best (if not the cheapest) first step in revenue protection. Camera and other technologies will inevitably move from security to revenue protection roles in the future but are still only a cheap substitute for staff at some of our stations.

[simonw]

Whilst it is not feasible to have staff at every station, surely every station should have an 8-late (or more) cafe/coffee shop with the ability to sell or advise on tickets.

[johnneyw]

Whilst it is not feasible to have staff at every station, surely every station should have an 8-late (or more) cafe/coffee shop with the ability to sell or advise on tickets.

Maybe not in every station but I'm sure that this is an avenue that has not been fully explored yet, not forgetting that many stations have a growing footfall.



Edit note: Quote marks fixed, for clarity. CfN. 

[Bmblbzzz]

Whilst it is not feasible to have staff at every station, surely every station should have an 8-late (or more) cafe/coffee shop with the ability to sell or advise on tickets.

Quite a good idea and it works for bus tickets in many cities. But bus tickets are simpler – these are generally places which operate a one-fare system or a simple zone or similar system. So this system could work for simple local fares but long-distance might be beyond it. Also, would a cafe/shop really be profitable at every station? Is there even room for one? Maybe where it wouldn't be, simple local ticket sales could be 'franchised' to pre-existing shops and cafes?

[simonw]

Yes, and I see so many coffee carts/vans these days I refuse to believe that a train station exists where one cannot exist.

All the train company has to do is offer commission on all rail tickets sold, using a simple App, including a potential 'building block ticket' that could be used to get you on your journey and be updated/replaced by the train conductor on the train  to a full ticket. The App could notify the conductor train company and advise them a customer is aboard, LEGALLY, who needs ticket advise.

[ChrisB]

That wouldn't be a *simple* app. And what if the customer didn't have a smartphone?

[simonw]

I meant the Cafe owner could have access to a public or private train company app,  and issue tickets via that.

There is no requirement on a customer having a phone, just a means of payment that the train company and cafe owner are happy with.