Exclusive: Ticketless ScotRail passengers set to face new penalty
By
Alastair Dalton
Transport Correspondent
Published 10th Aug 2025, 06:00 BST
Updated 10th Aug 2025, 06:00 BST
The move is being considered by ScotRail to cut fraud from people claiming shorter journeys than travelled. Passengers who travel without a ticket face a new crackdown under
ScotRail plans to combat fare dodging, The Scotsman has learned.
They could be charged a minimum fare if they had not bought a ticket before boarding the train.
A minimum fare would be introduced under ScotRail plans. The move is seen as deterring passengers from claiming they had made shorter journeys than they had travelled.
It is aimed at reducing the estimated £10 million a year lost to the
Scottish Government-owned operator through ticket fraud, which would cut the amount of public funding it needs.
Unlike most English operators, ScotRail passengers do not face penalties for not buying a ticket before travelling.
However, the proposal could mean passengers making short journeys which cost less than the minimum fare having to pay more if they did not buy a ticket before boarding their train.
The minutes of a ScotRail board meeting in January show strategy and planning director Scott Prentice said the introduction of a minimum fares scheme was among “key initiatives” in the firm’s 2025-26 draft business plan, subject to
Transport Scotland approval.
An industry source said minimum fares was a “slightly softer approach” than the £100 penalty fares which can be imposed south of the Border.
Another industry insider said: “This looks like a revenue protection initiative, where a passenger with no ticket on a train or at the end of their journey is obliged to buy a ‘minimum fare’ ticket.
“This would probably be more expensive than many low value ScotRail tickets, such as a £3 Mount Florida to Glasgow Central single, and act as an encouragement for passengers to buy a ticket before boarding a train. It’s believed to be better than a penalty fares scheme.
“ScotRail is right to continue to work hard on reducing ticketless travel, and needs some incentives as it’s practically not easy to check that everyone has a ticket on board on short journeys and busy trains.”
However, the Scottish Conservatives questioned the merits of the scheme.
Party transport spokesperson Sue Webber said: “Hard-pressed passengers will want to see stronger action on fare dodging, but this policy might not be the silver bullet SNP ministers want it to be.
“It’s simply not practical to expect smaller stations to enforce this policy, after the SNP’s botched nationalisation of ScotRail.”
Claire Baker, her Scottish Labour counterpart, said: “It is not right that commuters are forced to pay more because a small minority are trying to game the system.
“The SNP should work with ScotRail to design plans to tackle fare dodging without penalising other passengers.”
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “ScotRail has a number of ways to make it easy for passengers to buy their tickets before they board - online, via the app, ticket machine or from ticket offices.
“In line with their existing revenue protection policy, additional measures to further reduce ticketless travel are under consideration. As no final decisions have been taken, any claims as to what this might look like are purely speculation.”
www.scotsman.com
