Home›US Markets›M&A & Deals›Rail operators move to curb digital ticket fraud on sh…

Rail operators move to curb digital ticket fraud on short trips

Operators at South Western Railway and GTR say fraudulent use accounted for up to 95% of tickets on some short routes, prompting tighter access rules that require physical tickets on certain journeys.

Reported · Written up by our desk · M&A & Deals

South Western Railway and GTR, which runs Thameslink and Southern services, introduced new steps to clamp down on digital ticket fraud, targeting “short-faring,” where passengers buy a last-minute ticket only for the final segment of a trip to exit barriers.

The crackdown is aimed at routes where digital-only tickets have been exploited, and on some journeys customers will now need to collect a physical ticket from a ticket machine instead of relying on the phone-based ticket, after operators found widespread misuse.

The Guardian reports that operators said up to 95% of tickets on some short routes were being used fraudulently, arguing that the shift toward digital ticketing has widened loopholes for fare dodging.

The outlet also notes that the government department overseeing most of England’s rail services when renationalisation takes effect next year is backing the effort, framing fare evasion as analogous to tax dodging.

More like this

Sources