East Midlands Railway (EMR) has recovered more than £600,000 from fining or taking to court fraudulent travellers in the past ten months – helping reduce costs for taxpayers.
From January 1 to November 13, its revenue protection officers and onboard staff have issued 11,510 notices and successfully prosecuted 2,033 fare evaders through the courts – returning a combined total of £684,667.
The fines and prosecutions were made for many reasons, including travelling without a valid ticket, fraudulently travelling on a child’s ticket, and travelling beyond the destination of their ticket.
People were only pursued through the courts after they travelled without a ticket and refused to pay for their journey and the corresponding fine.
• NET Trams: Zero tolerance – no questions asked – £70 fines for fare dodgers from December
Dave Meredith, Customer Services Director at East Midlands Railway, said: “The vast majority of our customers always buy a ticket, and understand that for the railway to successfully operate, improve, and secure investment, fares need to be paid for.
“Sadly though, there are a minority of determined people who think they can get away without buying a ticket.
“Simply put, fare evasion is a criminal offence, and our revenue protection teams and fraud team are working every day to catch people trying to evade paying for their journey.”
