“Excuses please”; £200m cost of fare dodging on the railways, figures reveal

Fare dodgers are depriving the rail network and other passengers of an estimated £200m a year, according to figures published by the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) which represents Britain’s train operators.

Fare dodgers who choose to travel without buying a ticket are estimated to be making more than 110,000 train journeys each and every day on the rail network.

The figures come as train companies publish a list of some of the more memorable excuses used by passengers caught travelling without a ticket.

Examples of excuses given by fare dodgers for not buying a ticket include:-

“I’m related to The Queen so I don’t need a ticket.”

“I’m in the Zimbabwean SAS, on covert ops.”

“Don’t you know who I am?”

“What’s a ticket?”

“Do I need a ticket? I thought the railway was free.”

“If the ticket man doesn’t see me then I don’t need one.”

“I’m a freeman of the land, I don’t recognise the law and the law does not apply to me.”

An adult travelling with a child ticket said “I thought I was a child until I was 21.”

A passenger claimed he did not buy a ticket because “I didn’t think you would accept my fare.”

“I thought by hiding in the luggage rack you wouldn’t see me.”
The hundreds of millions of pounds lost every year due to fare dodging is money train operators could otherwise invest in improving services for passengers.

It is estimated that the £200m currently lost every year due to fare dodging would be enough to:

– Lease over 1,300 extra commuter carriages, or;
– Lease around 800 extra inter-city carriages for longer distance journeys, or;
– Pay for the upkeep of around 380 stations for the next five years.

Train companies have a number of safeguards in place aimed at ensuring that customers unable to buy a ticket are not given a penalty fare. Staff are regularly updated about ticket machines which may not be working and other circumstances which may prevent people from buying tickets. Passengers should check with their train operator what its policies are on ticketing and fare evasion.

David Mapp, Commercial Director for the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC), said:
“It’s frustrating for the vast majority of honest passengers who do pay for their ticket when fare dodgers’ selfish actions suck millions of pounds out of the railways each year. That’s money both train companies and passengers alike would rather see going back into further improving services.

“Train companies deal with fare dodgers in a fair but firm manner. Where there is a genuine reason for someone travelling without a ticket, train companies will always use their discretion. Strong deterrents are in place to ensure that the vast majority of passengers don’t end up paying for the few who think they can get away without buying a ticket.

“As these excuses show, there are always some people who choose to spend time thinking up an excuse rather than buying a ticket.”

Cheap train fares axed as rail operator claims it will ease overcrowding

From: Daily Mail

Cheap train tickets are being scrapped just months ahead of inflation-busting price increases, a leaked memo has revealed.

One of Britain’s largest operators has stopped selling its lowest-priced fares for Friday afternoons and Sundays to prevent overcrowding.

This is despite the fact that cheap advance tickets are used by rail companies to justify large price increases for their more  flexible fare options.

The move comes after passengers were told they would face price rises of up to 13 per cent in the New Year, and nearly 30 per cent by 2015, leading to the £10,000 season ticket. The cheap fares cull at CrossCountry Trains was uncovered by ticketing expert Barry Doe of Rail magazine.

CrossCountry carries more than 31million passengers each year, with more than 60,000 of its journeys each week made using pre-booked tickets.

However, a memo to staff stated that there would be ‘no cheap advance fares anywhere on our network’ before 9.30am on Monday to Thursday, after 12pm on Friday or all day on Sunday, following feedback from conductors.

A spokesman said only the ‘cheapest’ advance tickets had been scrapped, but would not confirm how many had been withdrawn from sale.

‘We know these trains will be very busy,’ he said. ‘Why sell very cheap tickets on a train which is already full?’

The move means further misery for those seeking more affordable fares.

Mr Doe said: ‘People spend hours trawling  the internet looking for the best deal. As a passenger, you never know how many of the cheap tickets are available, or even if it’s zero.’

July Train Performance at 92.2%

Punctuality on the railways reached 92.2% during July, according to monthly performance data released today by Network Rail.

The data for Britain’s train services covers period four of the year – from 26 June 2011 to 23 July 2011. This compares to 92.6% for the same period last year. The moving annual average is now at 90.7%.

The most punctual train operators in July were London Overground and Merseyrail, who both ran 96.1% of their services on time.

For the same period last year, London Overground scored 94.1% and Merseyrail, 96.2%.

The least punctual rail operator was East Coast, with only 81.7% of trains running on time. This was due to ‘external factors’ including a lightning strike at Welwyn Garden City, a line-side fire near Welwyn, cable theft and fatalities.

Other operators who performed well include c2c at 95.2% and Arriva Trains Wales who ran 95.5% of their services on time.