ScotRail to bring in £10 minimum fare to tackle ticket dodgers

ScotRail is to introduce a £10 minimum fare for people travelling without a ticket to crack down on fare dodgers.

The publicly-owned rail operator said it will take “robust action” to deal with fare evasion which is estimated to cost Scotland’s Railway more than £11 million each year.

ScotRail said that in many cases the minimum fare will cost more than the price of a standard fare ticket, particularly for short journeys such as a return ticket from Bishopriggs to Glasgow Queen Street which costs £3.

If the cost of a ticket for the journey is already more than £10 there will be no extra charge, however customers still need to to buy a ticket before they board to qualify for any other discounted rail travel.

The £10 minimum fare will be introduced in July this year following a “period of education” starting on April 1.

Phil Campbell, ScotRail customer operations director, said: “The introduction of a minimum fare will target the small number of customers who don’t buy a ticket before they travel, ensuring fairness for honest, fare-paying ScotRail passengers.

“Every pound lost through fraudulent travel is money that would have been reinvested into the railway, and we will take 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.”

ScotRail said it comes after independent analysis of those travelling with no ticket found that customers who did not buy one before travelling had either an operating ticket vending machine (90%) or an open ticket office (74%) available but chose not to use them.

It is hoped that the introduction of the minimum fare will also help reduce anti-social behaviour on the railways, which ScotRail said is often caused by a small minority of people travelling with no ticket.

Earlier this month First Minister John Swinney announced that rail fares will be frozen for the next year.

Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “The recent fares freeze has been implemented to help people with the cost of living while ensuring ScotRail services are sustainable in the longer term and has been supported by Scottish Government funding.

“While around 95% of passengers already travel with a valid ticket, it is only right that ScotRail can take action against those who seek to avoid doing so.

“With a number of measures already in place, this minimum fare policy will act as a further deterrent to those who try to purposely evade paying for a ticket.

“This approach seeks to protect the significant investment being made in Scotland’s Railways, while also allowing for a period of customer education regarding the new policy.”

ScotRail said there will be exclusions to the minimum charge for customers who hold a national entitlement card, if a ticket office in a station is closed, if a station doesn’t have a ticket office or ticket vending machine (TVM) and if a customer has a registered disability that prevents them from using TVMs.

Staff will have the discretion to issue the minimum fare depending on a customer’s circumstances, while people who can only pay with cash can obtain a “promise to pay” ticket from a TVM and then buy a ticket from staff on the train.