First Bus Leeds: Operator to introduce ticket inspectors in fare dodging crackdown - everything you need to know

From Monday, November 27, First Bus announced they would be introducing Revenue Protection Officers on board its buses across West Yorkshire.

It comes amid a national crackdown on fare dodging across the public transport network. Officers will be regularly riding the city’s bus network to ensure everyone is travelling with a valid, correctly issued ticket. Any tickets purchased from the driver must be retained throughout the journey, and any tickets on our First Bus App must be valid and ready to show.

When travelling, passengers are being asked to have their ticket ready to show – this might be:

• A valid printed ticket for your journey
• A valid ticket on the First Bus App
• A valid ticket on any partner apps, such as MCard
• A valid smartcard
• Your Senior Bus Pass or Blind and Disabled Pass
• The credit/debit card or the contactless device you used for Tap on Tap off journeys
• Any other valid travel document

Passengers must also be ready to show any ID associated with their travel ticket, for example a student ID, 16-18 photocard, or an U19 photocard.

Anyone unable to show a valid ticket to travel or the required ID for their ticket will be issued with a standard fare charge of £50 by Revenue Protection Officers.

Last month, Northern Rail announced plans to hit persistent dodgers who had a “proven pattern of behaviour” and would look to show courts “the full scale of the perpetrator's deception.”