A fare evader who shared tips on TikTok detailing how to avoid paying on East Midlands Railway trains has been caught and fined.
The fraudulent traveller shared numerous videos on her social media account boasting about how she avoided paying and urged her followers to do the same.
Following an investigation between EMR and the British Transport Police, the fare evader was prosecuted under the Regulation of Railways Act and received a £773 fine and criminal record.
Dave Meredith, customer services director at East Midlands Railway, said: “The vast majority of our customers always buy a ticket, however, there are some people who try and work the system and look for different ways to evade paying.
“Our revenue protection, fraud and security teams work both in uniform and plain clothes to monitor and catch fare evaders, whether they are travelling without a ticket, have a ticket for part of their journey or fraudulently travelling on a child’s ticket.
“The impact of fare evasion is felt by our law-abiding fare-paying customers and ultimately the taxpayer. It’s indefensible for certain individuals to believe they’re exempt from paying for our services, and as these cases show, our teams are across our network looking for people who think it’s okay to break the law.”
PC Lisa Scott-Savage, Investigating Officer for the British Transport Police, said: “We’re extremely pleased with the result in this case, which highlights the price of evading fares – hefty fines and a criminal record.
“It is the legitimate fare paying passengers who end up bearing the brunt of the cost of the dishonest people who think they can get away without paying.”
Customers who travel on East Midlands Railway (EMR) without a valid ticket can be fined £100 on top of the price of a single ticket.
