A passenger has been fined £15,000 for short ticketing, highlighting the ongoing issue of fare evasion on the c2c rail network
South Essex: So, there’s been quite a stir with c2c, the rail operator. They’ve been cracking down on fare dodgers big time. This year alone, they’ve raked in nearly £600,000 from people trying to skip out on paying their fares.
They’ve really stepped up their game by boosting their Revenue Protection team. It’s all about catching those who think they can ride for free. This year’s haul is a whopping 88% more than last year, which is pretty impressive.
The increase shows how much they’re using data to spot fare evaders. Their security teams are on it, working hard to make sure everyone pays their fair share.
From January to December 2024, c2c issued over 8,800 penalty fares to folks without valid tickets. That’s a huge jump from the previous year, where they only handed out about 3,500.
They’ve been busy tracking down those who owe money for old tickets too. Some cases are pretty wild, like one person who owed over £3,000 after getting caught at West Ham.
And then there’s this one passenger who’s got to pay back £15,000 for short ticketing. Turns out, they’ve been dodging fares since March 2020. That’s a serious amount of cash!
Iain Palmer, who heads up revenue protection at c2c, is thrilled about the money they’ve managed to recover. He says ticketless travel is a real problem across the UK rail network.
He praised his team for their hard work, especially since they often face tough situations. It’s all about making sure everyone has a valid ticket when using the c2c line.
In November 2024, they even kicked off a campaign called “Don’t Take the Gamble.” It’s aimed at making sure passengers know the risks of traveling without a ticket.
