A cyclist wearing a balaclava was filmed forcing open a wide-aisle gate at Hanger Lane station in West London, evading the fare.. The incident, reported by Transport for London (TfL), comes as the transport body reveals a 9% year-on-year surge in penalty fares issued, with 69,001 handed out in the year to March and over 21,000 cases referred for prosecution.

Hanger Lane wide-aisle gate breach: balaclava and a bicycle

According to the report, the man approached the wide-aisle gate — a barrier designed for wheelchair users, the elderly, parents with chidren, and passengers with luggage — and pulled it open by hand while manoeuvring his bicycle through. the gate beeped as he pushed through, but he succeeded in entering the station without touching a payment card. Other passengers paid normally at adjacent gates.

Wide-aisle gates, first installed on the Tube in 2008, have become a target for fare dodgers who either push through the gap or tailgate legitimate users. TfL did not disclose whether any station staff intervened or if the cyclist was identified after the incident.

69,001 penalty fares and a 9% year-on-year rise

TfL reported that 69,001 penalty fares of £100 (reduced to £50 if paid within 21 days) were issued in the year to March, up 9% from the previous 12 months. As the report noted, a further 21,533 cases resulted in reports for possible prosecution, a 19% increase year-on-year. the transport body also conducted 6.9 million contactless payment card checks across the network, a 51% rise, and secured 14 ,406 convictions for fare evasion in 2025/26 — 955 more than the prior year.

Siwan Hayward, TfL's director of security, policing and enforcement, said: 'Fare evasion is not a victimless crime. It robs Londoners of vital investment in a safe, frequent, and reliable transport network.'

£200 million lost annually — and a target of 1.5% evasion by 2030

Around 400,000 journeys on a typical weekday are evaded across the Tube network, costing TfL an estimated £200 million a year in lost income. The current evasion rate stands at 3.5%, which TfL says is 'significantly lower than many cities globally' — citing 8% in the Île-de-France region. TfL aims to cut that figure to 1.5% by 2030/31, a target that will require sustained enforcement and deterrence, as the agency noted the rate has fallen from 3.9% in 2022/23 to 3.5% in 2024/25.

TfL's beefed-up enforcement includes expanded investigator teams and new technology targeting persistent offenders. Deputy Mayor for Transport Seb Dance said the message is clear: 'Fare evasion will not be tolerated, and [evaders] will be held to account.'

The 181-offence repeat offender and the £2,131 conviction

Among the cases highlighted by TfL is a person convicted after being found using a bank card that TfL had banned because of previous breaches. The individual admitted 181 offences and was ordered to pay £2,131. The report does not name the offender or specify the location of those offences, raising the question of how many serial fare evaders are currently active but undetected. The identity of the Hanger Lane cyclist also remains unknown, as does whether this was a one-off or part of a pattern for that individual.