There are many definitions relating to paying the fare for transport or carriage. And there is this definition that means treated as expected or anticipated. We use it to say someone was fortunate or unlucky or received good or bad treatment in the circumstances. [circumstances is the key] https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/fared Your sentence is in the negative it means he has never been so unfortunate or had such bad luck. " Tom was lucky to get that job he did well at the interview" "Tom fared well at the interview"= another way to say the same thing, but we usually use the word or phrase by adding in adjectives "Tom was lucky he fared well yesterday" "Tom was treated badly by the store staff, he was right to ask for a refund, but he got treated badly" "tom did not fare well when seeking a refund" = same but much shorter sentence.

I find "fare" quite difficult to define. You could say it relates to how the situation changes over a period of time. Your sentence means that his situation has never been so bad. The expression "farewell" is used when parting and it expresses a wish that your life will go well in the future. I looked in a dictionary and it said this: "Perform in a specified way in a particular situation or over a particular period."