South Western Railway (SWR) has launched a data-led operation against "short-faring," where passengers buy tickets for only part of their journey to avoid paying the full fare. The scheme has helped cut fare evasion by 67 per cent since 2017, but short-faring remains a persistent problem, particularly between Vauxhall and London Waterloo. Matthew Winnie, chief customer and commercial officer at SWR and Network Rail Wessex, said: "The overwhelming majority of our customers pay the correct fare. "However, there's growing evidence of some people deliberately exploiting the system – a criminal offence that deprives the railway of hundreds of millions of pounds each year. A targeted trial launched at London Waterloo in June identified 153 short-faring offences in just four weeks.