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New £50 penalty introduced to act as a greater deterrent Transport for London is increasing the penalty fare for non payment on its services* to £50 from 11 January 2009. Under new plans announced today (Friday 10 October) TfL will also introduce an early payment incentive which will reduce the £50 penalty fare to £25 if it is paid within 21 days. This is an increase from the current level of £20 on the Buses, Tubes, DLR and London Overground. Fare evasion costs Londoners £70 million a year, and the Mayor is determined to tackle this. The rise will increase the deterrent effect of the penalty fare which is part of TfL's ongoing drive to combat fare evasion. Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: "Fare evasion costs Londoners £70 million a year, which is money that belongs to all Londoners that should be invested in making the transport network better. "We are investing record amounts in renewing the network, and it is only fair that those who travel on the Tube or bus pay their way. These changes to penalty fares will provide a greater deterrent to those who would otherwise try to short-change Londoners." Steve Burton, Director of Community Safety, Enforcement and Policing, said: "While the level of fare evasion on the network is low, it continues to cost Londoners millions of pounds every year. We therefore need to make the penalty fare more effective and the early payment reduction will encourage prompt payment. "We know that our honest, fare paying passengers feel angry when they see others not paying for their journey and this should reassure them that we are tackling this issue head on. "However, the simple way to avoid this penalty is to ensure you pay the correct fare for your journey in the first place." Transport for London is legally required to give at least three months notice of the penalty fare increase and legal notices to this effect will appear today (Friday 10 October 2008). Courtesy of: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/ |
