Andrew Parker

Said the following about MTR Crossrail Travel Safe Team:

“The Challenge – Reduce Ticketless Travel on the TfL Rail lines

When MTR Crossrail took over the Liverpool Street – Shenfield line in London in May 2015 fare evasion was a big problem across the route with Ticketless Travel Rate (TTR) sitting at 4.5%.

In May 2018 MTR Crossrail also took over the Paddington to Heathrow line and as a result of limited gatelines and minimal on train ticket checking it was anticipated that the TTR rate was sitting between 5 & 10%.

This is not just about revenue loss but also contributes to antisocial behaviour along the route, creating issues for the fare paying customers and potentially delaying services due to their activities.

What did MTR Crossrail do to meet this challenge?

It was recognised that this was a massive challenge but the team decided to tackle this head on introducing a number of new initiatives and processes that focussed on investing in employees through a range of training to instil a culture change. This did not just relate to the Travel Safe Team but encouraging the whole company to get involved with fare evasion from the Managing Director to colleagues at our stations and on our trains. Below is a list of some of these initiatives

1) We have introduced a Revenue Intelligence reporting tool which enables all our frontline staff to report incidents of fare evasion that they see at their stations and on trains. As a result of this in the year 2017/18 we received 14,500 pieces of information which has been used to develop our programme of Travel Safe activities.

2) At our non gateline stations Manor Park & Forest gate on the East and Southall, Hayes & Harlington, West Ealing and Acton Mainline on the West we have introduced a programme of pushback staff. This is to encourage all our customers to either purchase a ticket or validate their journey prior to entering the station. This has not only made a difference in reducing ticketless travel we have increased sales through our ticket offices and TVMs.

3) We have worked in collaboration with the British Transport Police and other Train Operating Companies to develop joint operations and initiatives to help drive down ticketless travel across the area and not just on our lines.

4) The introduction of regular Days of Action where members of the MTR Crossrail HQ team accompany the Travel Safe Team assisting with train checks and revenue blocks has gone down well. This has resulted in a greater understanding of our role throughout the organisation.

5) We meet with other Train Operating Companies, TFL and BTP regularly focussing on shared topics of interest, developing initiatives that will aid all of us to reduce TTR.

6) We have introduced Body Cameras to all our Travel Safe Officers and have extended this to our gateline staff at Ealing Broadway, Ilford and Romford. This has helped to stop potential incidents and is providing valuable evidence to the BTP to prosecute when appropriate.

7) We have retrained all the existing Travel Safe Officers to ensure all our Irregularity Reports are produced to a high standard giving every opportunity for the TfL prosecutions team to take the necessary action

8) A comprehensive induction programme has been established to ensure all new Travel Safe Officers receive a suite of training courses meeting their needs. This includes, Conflict management, Irregularity Report & Penalty fare training, Managing suicidal contacts, customer service and retail foundation (ticketing).

9) Regular meetings with the property team have helped to design stations which will ensure ticketless travel opportunities are reduced. We have also made changes at our existing stations as a result of feedback from our staff. This has included moving items away from fences which have been used as a climbing aid and ensuring any gaps are blocked.

10) All the Travel Safe team are trained in mobile ticketing and will if necessary assist with selling tickets if facilities at stations are not available.

11) We have introduced a new Team on the West and also have promoted 2 Travel Safe Officers to Travel Safe Duty Managers to lead the East and West teams

What have we achieved so far?

As a result of this hard work with a team of 20 Travel Safe Officers on the Eastern route and an initial team of 10 on the western result we have achieved fantastic results.

On the Eastern section (Liverpool Street to Shenfield) we are currently sitting at 1.11% which is a 75% reduction from the initial 4.5%.

On the Western section (Paddington to Heathrow) we have achieved a first result of 3.16% significantly better than expected considering the open nature of the network in this area.

The Travel Safe Team not only reduce ticketless travel but also assist the station team including giving customer service during times of disruption and providing support when incidents take place. They are regularly recognised for their assistance in our internal commutations.

We are always looking to improve and expect our results to improve further over the coming years.“