Fare Dodging Reaches All Time High As Crime On Tubes Soars Past Pre-Pandemic Levels
11 Jul 2023
Crime on London’s Underground service has now soared past pre-pandemic levels increasing by an astonishing 40%.
Despite there being 18% fewer passengers, a reported 10,420 crimes were committed on the London Underground between last December and May.
One of the biggest catalyst in the upturn of crime was fare dodging which reached an all time high. Transport for London said they were losing £130m a year due to fare dodging even with 450 officers carrying out daily ticket inspections and enforcement.
TfL hopes to cut fare evasion by an ambitious two-thirds, to less than 1.5% by 2030.
The Tube crime data also revealed robbery was up 316%, up from 92 offences to 383, the worst stations for it being Oxford Circus, Finsbury Park, Bond Street and Stratford.
Michael Roberts, chief executive of London TravelWatch, the passenger watchdog, said: “Fare evasion is not fair on the overwhelming majority of Londoners who do the right thing and pay for their travel.”
Siwan Hayward, TfL’s director of security, policing and enforcement, said: “We have been actively promoting the importance of reporting crime, especially crimes that are underreported such as hate crime, sexual offences and harassment, and workplace violence and aggression, which has contributed to the increase in recorded crime figures.
“We are seeing an increase in robbery and theft offences which reflect London-wide and national trends. We will continue to work closely with the police to ensure that our transport network remain a safe environment to work and travel.”