Transport boss: Why we have to prosecute over evasion

Our aim is not to hand out criminal records. Prosecuting fare evaders is not about 90p - it's about more than £30million of taxpayers' money lost every year through fare evasion.

If you walked into a shop, picked up a newspaper and did not pay on your way out, you would expect to find yourself before a magistrate. It is no different on a bus. It is the passenger's responsibility to ensure they have paid the correct fare for their journey as soon as they board.

Fare evasion on bendy buses has always been higher than on other routes but it is coming down. It now stands at around eight per cent, which is still too high. That is why 300 revenue protection inspectors target bendy buses, meaning you are up to 10 times more likely to come across one of our inspectors on these routes.

Ninety-seven per cent of our passengers pay the correct fare and support a tough stance against those who don't. We aim to be firm but fair in our prosecutions policy and we encourage individuals to let us know of any mitigating circumstances. Where appropriate, we will try to reach an out-of-court settlement which avoids a criminal record. In court we are successful in more than 99 per cent of cases.

This article reinforces the message that it is not worth risking a criminal record for the sake of 90p.