I'm only just catching up on the series, and watched the one about
revenue inspectors yesterday. Doing some quick sums on the back of an
envelope, it seems it costs them about as much to run the revenue
inspectors as the fares they are failing to collect (£20m a year). In
any event that's 1% of their turnover, and not the complete financial
disaster they portray it as. Although I agree there's an element of
"encouraging the others" so you have to been seen to be doing
*something*.

It spoilt what's otherwise a very good show which I think gives a good
insight into what it's like from the inside (even if some of the staff
play to the cameras a bit).

Meanwhile, there was some speculation earlier about exactly how the chap
was misusing his Oyster. They showed him touching in then out again (but
staying in) which tricked the card into not registering the start of a
journey. What they didn't show was how he was touching-in at a station
closer to his destination, in order to be able to touch out (at a lower
fare) at the destination without incurring a penalty for an unresolved
journey.
--
Roland Perry