ScotRail to charge ticket dodgers £10 minimum fare

ScotRail will charge ticket dodgers a minimum fare in a bid to cut the millions of lost revenue every year.

From April, passengers who are found to have deliberately boarded without a valid ticket will be charged a minimum of £10.

ScotRail said that in many cases this will exceed the price of a standard ticket, particularly for short journeys.

For example, a return ticket between Bishopbriggs and Glasgow Queen Street station costs £3, meaning those who intentionally travel without buying a ticket could pay over three times the usual fare.

No additional charge will apply where the cost of a ticket is already more than £10.

The change follows independent analysis of ticketless travel, which is estimated to cost Scotland’s train operator more than £11m each year.

The data also found that 74% of passengers who boarded without tickets did so despite ticket offices being open, while 90% had access to working ticket vending machines but chose not to use them.

ScotRail said the policy is expected to reduce anti-social behaviour.

Exemptions will apply in certain circumstances, including for customers holding a national entitlement card, where station ticket offices are closed, or where stations lack ticket offices or ticket vending machines.

Passengers with registered disabilities preventing them from using ticket machines will also be exempt, and staff will have discretion to consider individual circumstances.

Customers paying only in cash will be able to obtain a “promise to pay” notice before buying on board.

An “education period” will run from April 1 to July 2026 before the £10 minimum fare is enforced.

Revenue protection teams will focus on passengers claiming short journeys and embedding the policy across the network.

A ScotRail spokesperson said: “Since returning to public ownership in 2022, ScotRail has strengthened revenue protection measures, including deploying dedicated officers, targeting known routes, and equipping staff with improved reporting tools. The team currently recovers around £2 million annually that would otherwise be lost to fare evasion.

“The operator reports ticketless travel has fallen from 8.8% in April 2022 to 3.7%. Other measures introduced include a staff reporting channel for fraud, enhanced frontline engagement, and upgraded mobile equipment for on-train checks.

“ScotRail said staff are trained to assist customers who make genuine mistakes, with formal action reserved for suspected deliberate evasion.”