Fare dodgers can no longer use “my phone’s got a flat battery” as an excuse for not paying their fare on Northern trains

An increasingly popular excuse given by those unable to satisfy ticket checks is “I’ve got a ticket but my phone has died”. Northern has invested in the largest network of digital ticket infrastructure of any train operator in the country, and in the last 12 months it has installed over 11,800 plugs and 17,200 USB sockets on its trains so that its customers can have plenty of opportunities to charge their devices.

The digital infrastructure now makes it easier than ever to buy a ticket via Northern’s app, website or one of more than 600 ticket machines across the network.

As conductors and revenue officers cannot distinguish between genuine customers caught with a flat battery and those deliberately attempting to evade paying their fare, they have no option but to issue the national penalty fare, which has recently increased to £100, with deliberate fare evaders being prosecuted under the provisions of the Regulation of Railways Act 1889 and the Railway Byelaws made pursuant to the Transport Act 2000.

To further help those whose device is low on battery charge, Northern has started a trial with a company called BattPoint to provide power packs at stations for anyone travelling without a phone charger or power cable. Stations included in the trial include Bolton, Manchester Oxford Road, Manchester Victoria, Salford Crescent, and Wigan Wallgate.

The power packs cost just 99p for the first ten minutes of use or £3.99 for the day, and come with Micro USB, Type-c and iOS adapters, which makes them suitable for a range of devices including Apple and Samsung, as well as games consoles like Nintendo Switch. The whole process is contactless and there is no need to download an app. Further information can be found at: https://battpoint.co.uk

Mark Powles, commercial and customer director at Northern, said: “Customers not only have a duty to buy a ticket before they board one of our trains – but also to be able to present it for inspection.

“We were fascinated by research from BattPoint which suggests 50% of smartphone and tablet users run out of battery at least once a day and 96% carrying no form of backup power with them.

“Through this trial – and the roll-out of out of nearly 30,000 plugs and USB sockets on our trains – we’re doing our bit to make sure no one finds themselves ‘out of juice’ when they hear the words ‘tickets please’.”