Fare Evasion and Automatic Ticket Collection on the London Underground

At the end of 1989 a new ticket issuing and collection system, including automatic gates at 63 busy central stations, was brought into full operation on the London Underground. One of the system's principal objectives, a reduction in fare evasion, appears to have been achieved. The results of before-and-after surveys undertaken by the management of the Underground suggest that fare evasion has been cut by two-thirds and that the additional revenues generated should soon pay for the cost of installing the automatic gates. An analysis of ticket sales also indicates that the more recent installation in December 1991 of automatic gates at two suburban stations has been cost-effective in terms of reduced fare evasion. It is concluded that further research should be directed to identifying other high-risk stations where installation of automatic gates might be cost-effective.