Local rail operator Trenitalia c2c recouped a record-breaking £596,493 from ticketless travel in 2024, after clamping down on fare evasion through a variety of operational and data-led tactics.
By expanding the Revenue Protection team, c2c has ramped up deployment and coverage across the network, with the significant sum representing an 88% increase on 2023’s total of £317,000.
The result showcases the increasing use of data to identify fare evasion activity, as well as the focus and commitment of c2c’s Revenue Protection and Security teams on reducing and eliminating fare evasion across the network.
From January 1, 2024, to 31 December 2024, c2c handed out over 8,863 penalty fares to passengers that did not have a valid ticket for travel, representing a substantial increase from the 3,542 penalty fares issued in 2023 – with the total sum collected from penalty fares being £337,068.
Across the course of 2024, the team had great success with investigating fare evaders, with thousands owed by some for historic unpaid tickets.
Some cases included:
- £3,181.50 from an individual who was stopped at West Ham with the wrong ticket
- £2,369.00 from an individual travelling from Basildon with the wrong ticket
- £2,483.50 recouped after a passenger traveling from Leigh-on-Sea to West Ham that was caught short ticketing.
- £15,000 is being repaid by another customer found to be short ticketing; upon further investigation after their initial apprehension, the fraudulent activity was traced back to March 2020, resulting in a final amount of over £15,000 due in unpaid fares.
c2c’s Head of Revenue Protection and Security, Iain Palmer, said, “I’m delighted that c2c has recouped such a significant sum across 2024, as ticketless travel is an issue that blights the entire rail network in the UK.
“Our Revenue Protection and Security teams work incredibly hard under sometimes difficult circumstances to ensure that all our passengers have a valid ticket to use the c2c line. So, to achieve this record-breaking year is a testament to their hard work and determination to ensure that all passengers use the network fairly.
“At c2c, we are committed to ensuring that our passengers have a safe and reliable journey and work in close partnership with The British Transport Police to achieve this. We know from historic evidence that ticketless travel is linked to ASB (anti-social behaviour), and our front-line teams work very hard to ensure that we catch as many of these people that feel they are exempt from the rules as possible,” he added.
In November 2024 c2c launched its ‘Don’t Take the Gamble’ campaign, which highlights the repercussions of travelling without a valid ticket, in order to ensure that passengers understand the risk they are taking if they choose to evade their fare.
The criminal implications of ticketless travel are central to the campaign, fronted by TV presenter, Ortis Deley, and highlights the risks and impacts of being caught without a valid ticket. For the full details of the campaign, please click here.
