According to a Freedom of Information request submitted by PoliticsUK, the number of recorded incidents of fare evasion on the Scottish train network has almost doubled in one year.
In the 2024/25 financial year, Scotland’s nationalised train service ScotRail recorded 1,644 instances of fare dodging, up from 869 the year before.
Despite the figures, ScotRail has said it does not believe negative passenger behaviour has drastically increased, instead, it has claimed that an increased presence of Revenue Protection Officers (RPO’s) on ScotRail trains has resulted in more fare evaders being caught.
ScotRail does not currently issue fines to those travelling without valid tickets, travellers are instead required to pay the accurate fee for their journey if they are found evading their fare. Through this process, they say they recover around £2 million each year from fare dodgers.
ScotRail‘s website explains: “These team members travel around the network and can be found at any station, on any train, any day of the week, at any time.
“Their activities vary but they can typically be found setting up Revenue Protection barriers at ungated stations, carrying out ticket checks in our major stations and checking railcards on our trains, in addition to the on-board staff member.
If you are stopped by a Revenue Protection Officer, you should show your ticket and any supporting documentation as normal.”
Of the 1,644 recorded incidents last financial year – 958 did not result in any funds being recovered.
Scotrail have said there has only been one prosecution for fare dodging that they’ve recorded since 2022. It notes that the British Transport Police may have conducted additional investigations that have resulted in arrests.
Phil Campbell, ScotRail Customer Operations Director, said: “We are absolutely committed to tackling ticket evasion and fraud, to protect our honest, fare-paying passengers.
“Every pound lost through fraudulent travel is money that would have been reinvested into the railway, and we are taking robust action to deal with those purposely avoiding payment.
“With more staff in place across the network, increased checks at stations, and the use of enhanced data analysis, we are reducing instances of ticket fraud year-on-year.
“Everyone across Scotland’s Railway will continue to work hard to ensure that everyone who uses our services pays their fair share.”
A ScotRail spokesperson added: “We have advised all staff to report ticketing [and] non-payment incidents as much as practical, even if a name [or] address is not taken.
“The year-on-year increase in reports, as well as the totals not recovered are attributed to these factors [Increased presence of RPO’s and higher reporting rates] and should not be interpreted as a negative shift in passenger behaviours.”
Featured image via Loch Earn / Shutterstock.
Author: Max Booth & Alex Paterson
