Train operator Northern has put out an appeal to parents to make sure that their children have a valid ticket for their train journey before they catch the train to school.

Northern has found that many parents promise to send their children a ticket for their journey via text message. However, it is a condition of travel that passengers must buy a ticket before they board the train, and some schoolchildren have been risking a £100 penalty fare while waiting to receive their ticket from their parents.

To help students in their commute and persuade them to switch from road to rail, Northern is working with over 185 secondary schools and university technical colleges on an ‘Under 16 Education Season Ticket’ scheme.

The scheme provides students with a 75% discount off the cost of their ticket, and covers unlimited travel between any two stations on the Northern network seven days a week. It can also be used to travel at weekends and during the school holidays.

Further information and details of how to apply for ticket on the Under 16 Education Season Ticket scheme is online at www.northernrailway.co.uk/tickets/educational-season.

In 2005, the penalty fare for travelling on a train without a ticket was set at £20. However, the rail industry considered that figure to be too low and not an effective deterrent to would-be fare evaders, so in January 2023 the penalty for travelling without a valid ticket for travel or ‘promise to pay’ voucher was increased toa £100 penalty fare.

Mark Powles, commercial and customer director at Northern, said: “It’s perfectly legal for parents to buy their child’s ticket and send them via text – however, why risk it?

“It’s so easy to get distracted in the morning rush and the moment their child boards a train without a ticket they might as well have packed a £100 penalty fare in their lunchbox themselves.”

Powles added: “With the new year and new school term ahead of us, now is the time to adopt new habits. And with up to 75%-off, Under 16 Education Season Tickets offer one of the most generous discounts of any ticket scheme in the country – saving parents hundreds of pounds per year.

“They’ll also be able to rest-assured their child will always have a valid ticket to get them to and from school – and they won’t have to spend time buying and texting individual tickets every day.”