ScotRail to add more ticket examiners and barriers in 'clampdown' on fare evasion

Fare evasion on Scotland’s railway comes at a cost of around £10 million to the taxpayer every year, according to ScotRail.

However, the train operator says it is “clamping down” on fraudsters who deliberately avoid paying the correct fare for their journey.

This can include false short journey claims, railcard misuse, and the abuse of self-service ticket machines.

To address these challenges, ScotRail is implementing various targeted actions to prevent and catch fare evaders.

From this month, an extra 69 ticket examiners will be in post, including more automatic ticket gate staff, on-train teams, and new mobile Revenue Protection Officers to patrol trains and set up barriers.

Their work generates around £200,000, which would otherwise have been lost every month, as they catch people who have been caught travelling without a valid ticket.

Phil Campbell, ScotRail Customer Operations Director, said: “Tackling ticket fraud has always been a priority for ScotRail. 

“It’s a small minority of passengers who deliberately try to avoid paying the proper fare, but it’s honest, fare-paying passengers who bear the burden of lost investment in Scotland’s Railway. 

“Our goal is to ensure that our genuine customers can travel without disruption, knowing that the fare system is fair and enforced.”

This year, one passenger caught falsely claiming discounts was forced to cough up more than £1,000.

Another had to pay more than £1,500 – for buying tickets from the wrong station on their phone.

While ScotRail has acknowledged that not everyone is acting maliciously, it says it’s crucial everyone follows the rules.

Revenue Team Manager Alan Craig said: “You find a lot of the passengers are rushing for the train, and they’re buying the wrong ticket. For instance if they’re on a peak time service but they’re buying a ticket for a service later on, it’s not the right fare.

“At the end of the day, it’s fraud.”

The most common types of fare evasion ScotRail encounters include:

Short journey claims: Individuals purchasing tickets for shorter journeys, including online, but traveling further than their ticket permits.
Railcard misuse: Passengers using discounted railcards they are not entitled to or sharing personal railcards with others.
Self-service ticket machine abuse: Customers exploiting or deliberately misusing self-service ticket machines to avoid paying the correct fare.

In cases where fraud is identified, ScotRail calculates the total unpaid fare owed, which can amount to thousands of pounds.

Phil Campbell, ScotRail Customer Operations Director, added: “We are fully committed to ensuring that everyone who uses our services pays their fair share.

“These measures not only protect public money but also allow us to reinvest in improvements for the benefit of all passengers.”