ScotRail targets ‘antisocial’ fare-dodgers with £10 minimum fee

Scotland’s railway loses over £30,000 per day to ticket fraud

Tickets, please: ScotRail trains at Saltcoats station in Ayrshire (Simon Calder)

With one in 27 passengers on ScotRail travelling without a ticket, the nation’s train operator is to introduce a £10 “minimum fare” to try to reduce the extent of fare-dodging.

The tariff will be applied only “to someone who purposefully didn’t buy their ticket before boarding”. ScotRail points out that some fares are as low as £3 return.

The organisation loses an estimated £11m annually to fare-dodgers – equivalent to over £30,000 per day.

ScotRail found that nine out of 10 passengers travelling without a ticket could have bought one from a station ticket machine. In three out of four cases, the station ticket office was open.

The new £10 minimum charge will take effect in July, following a three-month information campaign.

In its statement unveiling the plan, ScotRail said: “It is anticipated that this change will also help to reduce antisocial behaviour on the railway, which is often caused by a small minority travelling without a ticket.”

Exceptions will be made on occasions when the ticket office in a station is closed and there is no ticket vending machine. If there is such a machine, but it does not take cash, someone wanting to pay with notes and coins will need to obtain a “promise to pay” ticket from the machine.

Phil Campbell, ScotRail’s 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.”

The Scottish 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.

“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 regards the new policy."

Ticketless travel in Scotland peaked in April 2022, with one in 11 passengers failing to pay the fare in advance.

Read more: Rules on rail tickets and how they are enforced