New figures obtained by Guido’s FoI unit show that the majority of fines issued by Transport for London for fare dodging are never even paid.
In 2025/26 TfL issued 62,849 fines, of which 34,277 went unpaid. A non-payment rate of 54.54%…
In fact, the share going unpaid has been above 50% for the last three years:
- 2023/24: 50.49%
- 2024/25: 55.39%
- 2025/26: 54.54%
Sadiq Khan increased the penalty from £80 to £100 in March 2024, which he described at the time as an “effective deterrent“. Anyone who commutes across London will see that disproved before their very eyes almost every day…
And as Guido revealed last August, the 3.4% evasion rate TfL spat out after Jenrick’s viral video conveniently glossed over the Tube, where fare dodging actually averaged 4.8% across the year and peaked at 5.1%, well above the 4.1% target. Bus evasion, meanwhile, climbed from 1.9% in 2023 to 2.6% last year. Now even the fines meant to claw the money back are going unpaid.
Former leader of the SNP in Westminster Ian Blackford told Times Radio why he believes Nicola Sturgeon’s claim that she spent no time in the kitchen and therefore didn’t see any of her husband’s purchases:
“She doesn’t have a passion for cooking.”