Plain-clothes police officers and TfL staff have arrested 24 people in London over repeat fare evasion under a joint crackdown. TfL said 467 people were stopped and 24 arrested in the first month of Operation Vector, run with the British Transport Police (BTP). Officers issued 156 penalty fares and reported 175 people for possible prosecution. Under the pilot, TfL revenue and enforcement teams deal with fare evasion, while BTP officers check records and look for wider offences, including drugs, weapons and sexual offences. Officers are deployed at different points around stations, including beyond ticket barriers, so people who force their way through can be tracked and stopped. BTP Ch Insp Daniel Rushall said some people who evaded fares were linked to more serious crime, and the first month led to weapons and drugs being seized. TfL has not said how many of the arrests related specifically to fare evasion. TfL said its fare evasion rate remains 3.5%, the same level seen in 2024 to 2025, against a target of 1.5% by 2030 to 2031. The transport body estimates fare evasion costs about £190m a year and said it would not tolerate it. It added gate pushing creates an intimidating atmosphere for staff and customers. The operation is part of TfL’s fare evasion strategy launched in April 2025, which includes an expanded team of investigators targeting repeat offenders. Since April this year, TfL said its enforcement teams have issued more than 33,000 penalty fares and reported more than 11,000 people for possible prosecution, including more than 2,400 for barrier misuse.