South Western Railway: Fare Dodgers Disgrace

Train passengers who avoid paying their fares are being reminded that they could find themselves on a one-way trip to Regret, Disgrace and Shame in the latest campaign from South Western Railway (SWR), created by independent agency St Luke’s.

With fare evasion costing British railways an estimated £350-400m annually*, the brief was to create an OOH campaign highlighting the consequences of travelling without a ticket or with the wrong ticket.

Three Fare Dodging audiences are identified for this campaign. Regret - speaks to Ambivalent Evaders, those who occasionally dodge paying the correct fare. For Shame - the messaging targets Strategic Evaders, people who are nonchalant and think they won’t get caught. And finally, Career Evaders, who routinely don’t pay their fares as a form of protest, are given the Disgrace message.

Knowing that most people want to think of themselves as fundamentally decent, St Luke’s “Dodge the fare, pay the price” strategy reminds customers that being caught can lead to some uncomfortable feelings – as well as a fine of up to £1,000.

St Luke’s has used a key visual that is instantly recognisable to train users: a train departure board, set at an angle to signify that something isn’t quite right.

Instead of the names of stations, however, the destinations are the negative emotions that being caught without the right ticket can cause. Destination Regret, for example, calls at the stations Indifference, Caught, Court, Guilt and Up to £1,000 Fine. Other executions outline journeys to Disgrace and Shame, with all the creative using the endline “Dodge the fare, pay the price”.

The campaign will roll out from 28 October 2025, on OOH sites across the South Western Railway network including London and the South West.