Following interventions from Dagenham and Rainham MP, Margaret Mullane, beefed up action is being taken to tackle blatant fare evasion on the tube network and specifically at local stations.
Fare paying passengers had been in touch with Margaret reporting brazen breaking through the barriers at Heathway, Dagenham East and Elm Park stations on the District Line. The Member of Parliament had previously taken this problem up with the British Transport Police and Transport for London but there had appeared to be a lack of action.
In response to Margaret’s most recent call for action to get to grips with the problem, she has received a response that has highlighted what action has now been taken and also planned actions. In the letter to Margaret TfL explained that it uses fare evasion data and intelligence to determine where revenue enforcement activity will have the greatest impact and deploy its Revenue Enforcement Officers accordingly. That technique allows TfL to target hotspots and respond to changing trends across the network.
In addition to this, enforcement officers are deployed across the whole TfL network to deter fare evaders. Dagenham Heathway and Elm Park are part of the regular eastern District Line enforcement area carrying out on train checks between Bromley-by-Bow and Upminster.
This means that even if you do not see revenue officers deployed at your local station, fare evaders are still being caught on the trains.
Margaret said “Decent fare paying passengers on London Underground trains are outraged and in some instances intimidated by the brazen actions of fare dodgers who barge their way through the ticket barriers.
This has been happening at Dagenham East, Heathway and Elm Park stations in my constituency. I have been calling for action to stop this for many months. I am pleased and relieved to say that I have now had a positive response from Transport for London. They tell me that they have been deploying their Enforcement Officers to target hotspots to deter fare evaders and that they are routinely carrying out on train checks between Bromley-by-Bow and Upminster.”
Margaret added “What particularly pleased me is that TfL assured me that as well as recent Enforcement Officer presence at Dagenham East and Becontree, they plan to extend this to Dagenham Heathway and Elm Park.
So far in the last year over 4,000 individuals have been referred for prosecution for pushing through ticket barriers and non payment and that TfL is on course to slash fare evasion to below a 1.5% target.
These actions should give reassurance to decent fare paying passengers on the tube system.”