500 free rides: London’s master of “free” tube travel exposed
A Tube fare evader was caught in the act after he accumulated more than £3,500 in unpaid tickets.
He admitted using a card that a ’friend gave him’ for more than a year after being stopped by TfL inspectors at Surrey Quays.
The card had no money on it, but the ticket barriers accepted it every time.
He was then able to push the exit gates open at stations without ever paying a penny as each tap resulted in a payment failure.
However, investigators eventually caught on and they were able to track him down on his journey to work using CCTV.
The operation was captured on cameras as part of the Channel 5 documentary ’Fare Dodgers: At War with the Law,’ which airs on Monday.
He was taken in for questioning and TfL staff showed him that he owes £3,573 for over 500 journeys in just over a year.
The man was spotted on CCTV (Picture: Channel 5)
Lisa, an investigator, questions the suspected fare dodger, who then changes his story, saying the card is not his and he ‘found it.’
Lisa says: ‘Oh that’s a whole different ball game now.’
She then pulls out a scanner, which confirms that the card is faulty.
The man is presented with evidence detailing the unpaid fares (Picture: Channel 5)
When asked about whether he knew he owed TfL money for the travel, he replies: ‘My friend told me you can use this card for travelling.’
He eventually admits not paying for his morning journey after faced with evidence – and the total he has racked up, which ‘might be a bit of a shock,’ Lisa says.
Lisa says as the reality sinks in: ‘You have had that card for over a year and they have never been paid.’
The man then apologises and signs a document admitting on more than 500 trips.
But this isn’t the end of the matter as it is now up to the TfL prosecution team to look into the case and decide what happens next.
Elsewhere, the shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick decided to chase people at Stratford Tube station, where one man told him to ‘f*** off’ as he ran up to strangers he suspected of fare dodging.
Sadiq Khan is driving a proud city into the ground.
— Robert Jenrick (@RobertJenrick) May 29, 2025
Lawbreaking is out of control.
He’s not acting. So, I did.???? pic.twitter.com/MZSVQ3Sdak
In a video posted on X, Jenrick walks a man to TfL staff, who tell the enthusiastic MP to ‘just step to the side’ as they deal with the situation.
However, it later emerged that Jenrick may not have had permission to film on TfL property for his stunt, according to LBC.
The transport authority spent almost £22 million on a fare dodging crackdown last year.
Around 3.4% of passengers avoided paying for travel between April and December last year.
TfL recovered £400,000 through the courts after the prosecution of 360 worst evaders.
One of the focus areas is contactless payment card fare evasion.
Another fare dodger caught recently had to pay £1,472 in fines after avoiding payment on 202 journeys, TfL said.
In a previous episode, a ‘short farer’ was caught after he had avoided paying £20,000 in tickets on his commute from Surrey to London Waterloo.
Technology & Business Editor
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