



The number of fines issued to fare-dodgers on the London Underground surged by nearly 60 per cent in the month after Robert Jenrick's video confronting free-riders, GB News can reveal.
On May 29, the Shadow Justice Secretary shared footage of himself confronting law-breakers in the capital, which has since amassed tens of millions of views.
In it, TfL staff were seen looking on as fare-evaders shoved through barriers, while Jenrick himself said multiple police officers were in the station but "did nothing".
He then accused London Mayor Sadiq Khan of "driving a proud city into the ground" and "not acting" before taking matters into his own hands.
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|The Shadow Justice Secretary shared footage of him confronting law-breakers in the capital in May
Now, TfL data obtained by GB News under Freedom of Information laws has revealed that penalty fare notices (PFNs) were handed out 55 per cent more in the month after Jenrick's intervention than before.
Between May 1 and May 28, 1,055 PFNs were issued on the Underground.
In the next 28 days, starting from the day Jenrick's video was released, that number rose to 1,628 - well over the monthly average of 1,093.
The greatest number of PFNs dished out in a day in May was 81. In June, that number soared to 117.
In total for May, 1,150 notices were issued, while June's total was 1,588.
In response to the data, Jenrick said: "It's good to see enforcement against fare-dodgers being increased. The law-abiding public are sick of being made to follow the rules while rule-breakers get off scot-free.
"This shows what can be done when Sadiq Khan actually pays attention. The public deserve so much better."
GB NEWS
|GRAPHED: The daily and 28-day totals for number of PFNs dished out in May and June this year
In his initial video, Jenrick had blasted: "Nearly one in 25 people using London's public transport aren't paying for it.
"It's annoying watching so many people break the law and get away with it - or at least most of the time.
"It's the same with bike theft, phone theft, tool theft, shoplifting, drugs in town centres, weird Turkish barber shops... It's all chipping away at society."
TfL has warned that fare evasion is "not a victimless crime", and has pledged its commitment to reducing the rate of fare evasion to 1.5 per cent by 2030.
The fines are set at £100, which sinks to £50 if they are paid within 21 days.
In response to Jenrick's video, the Mayor of London had admitted "fare evasion is an issue".
Khan said: "It's an issue for London, has been for some time and that's one of the reasons why we've invested hugely in terms of - not just enforcement officers, not just in terms of body-worn videos, not just in terms of CCTV, but invested in the police as well.
"What I find ironic, and it's an example of the chutzpah of Mr Ozempic, is that he was in government when the Government cut more than £1billion from their police budget."
TfL itself said: "We take fare evasion extremely seriously. It takes away vital revenue from us that should be invested in a safe, reliable transport network."
It added: "We know that people who evade paying the correct fare cause the majority of abuse and are aggression experienced by our customer facing teams.
"There is also a clear overlap between people who evade paying the correct fare and wider criminality our network.
"Our team of over 500 revenue inspectors operate across our entire transport network day and night, checking tickets, penalising fare evaders and using new technology and intelligence to identify anyone travelling without the correct ticket or payment for the journey they are making."