4 August 2004

Closing the net on rail fare dodgers

Law-abiding travellers using rail services within the SPT network have nothing to fear, but those passengers who try to travel without paying for a ticket should be aware – their days are numbered.

This stark warning comes following ScotRail's appointment of an eight strong team of Fraud and Security Officers, made possible through a new initiative devised with and financed by SPT.

The new team will support the work of existing revenue protection staff by clamping down on those trying to defraud ScotRail and SPT by fare dodging. Fraud and Security Officers will carry out a variety of exercises aimed at reducing ticketless travel, based on feedback obtained from barrier staff.

They will also be deployed on different train routes, working in conjunction with British Transport Police. It is hoped that their highly visible presence will lead to a reduction in both ticket fraud and cases of anti-social behaviour.

This multi-layered approach is aimed at protecting income, tracking repeat fare dodgers with a view to achieving prosecution. Pass fraud and fare evasion among school children is also prevalent and they will be on the fraud squad's target list.

SPT Chair Alistair Watson welcomed the appointment of the Fraud and Security Officers saying:

"At a time when substantial investment is being made to improve the rail network, we must ensure the revenue generated from ticket sales is safeguarded.

"Put in the simplest terms, funding for the railways comes from the taxpayer, therefore fare dodgers are in effect cheating the rest of us. I am hopeful the introduction of Fraud and Security Officers will combat this drain on fare income and improve customer confidence in late night train services."

Peter Cotton, ScotRail's Managing Director commented:

"This is a welcome supplement to the new ticket vending machines, automatic ticket gating and seventy revenue protection staff ScotRail has introduced in the last year. As part of the crackdown on fare dodging, members of the team will also be there to provide a reassuring presence on late night services. We know the people travelling without tickets cause most of the on-train disruption incidents."

ends