TfL Faces £190 Million Fare Evasion Losses Amid Calls for Increased Ticket Staff

Transport for London (TfL) is under increasing pressure from the London Assembly transport committee and a cross-party group of Assembly Members to address the rising problem of fare evasion, which costs TfL up to £190 million annually. The committee has called for more ticket barriers (gatelines) to be staffed and operational, highlighting that unstaffed or open gatelines—often left so when staff are on breaks or off sick—contribute significantly to fare evasion. Data shows fare evasion rates remain well above TfL's 2030 target of 1.5 percent, with recent figures revealing rates as high as 5.1 percent on the Tube and 7.8 percent on the Croydon tram network. The committee also raised concerns about the safety of frontline staff, who face violence and aggression linked to fare evasion enforcement, urging TfL to reduce lone working and improve staff presence at stations. While TfL has expanded its team of investigators and deployed technology to combat fare dodgers, critics argue that simply increasing gate staffing would reduce accidental and opportunistic fare evaders. The committee has also requested British Transport Police to improve their response times to incidents involving fare evasion-related aggression.