• Question by: Murad Qureshi
• Meeting date: 05 December 2007

I just want to go back to the visit we made to the stop on the 25 bus on Romford Road, organised for the Transport Committee. Interestingly enough, over the three hours, you are quite right, 2,500 passengers were checked. I think that mostly what was found was irregularities rather than evasion because certainly no one did a runner during all the time we were there. I was just wondering whether the emphasis should be different as a result and also the complexity of the whole policing set-up, because there was TOCU there, BOCU (Borough Operational Command Unit), British Transport...

• Question by: Bob Blackman
• Meeting date: 05 December 2007

The reason I raised that is that the number 18 bus route that runs through my constituency carries two million passengers a year, or thereabouts. In a recent exercise over 100 people were caught in an hour, without having paid a proper fare. That suggests that anecdotal evidence that people just do not bother paying if they get on the rear portion of those buses is borne out by reality, and if there is a concentration on routes such as that, it must reduce the amount of money that is evaded. Would you not agree that is a useful way...

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 05 December 2007

Maybe we could discuss where those places are at some point in the future, but one of the good things about the operation we saw was that there was co-operation between the police and revenue protection inspectors. Do you feel it would be helpful for the police to be able to ask to inspect people's tickets?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 05 December 2007

Certainly, in New York, the police check tickets there and they say it is useful to them because it enables them to identify people who they might want to examine for other reasons, so the last point you made is supported by experience in New York and might be worth considering here.

• Question by: Bob Blackman
• Meeting date: 05 December 2007

Without getting into the merits or otherwise of bendy buses, obviously one of the clear concerns is that the rear portion of the buses is not monitored. Is there a consideration now then that you would concentrate RPIs and suchlike on such routes, where fare evasion is particularly a problem?

• Question by: Murad Qureshi
• Meeting date: 05 December 2007

Personally I thought the other solution to the issues there would be more 25 buses along the Romford Road, but that is another matter.

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 05 December 2007

How much money does that equate to?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 05 December 2007

I am not talking about penalty fares though. I am talking about the number of people who are recommended for prosecution. Only 20% of those actually get to court in the end. Is there a problem with the way the evidence is being gathered?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 05 December 2007

You seem to be suggesting that 80% of the people who are recommended for prosecution are difficult to track down, do not give enough details. That sounds incredible.

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 05 December 2007

What is the average amount of fare evaded?