The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) is looking into why passengers have been penalised by train operators for travelling without a ticket or without a valid ticket.
A short questionnaire has been compiled by the regulator, and passengers who have been penalised are being asked to complete the questionnaire and give their experiences of being penalised.
Passenger responses will support the regulator’s investigations into how train operators approach suspected fare evasion and its impact on passengers.
These investigations are due to be completed by next spring, and the regulator’s report will make recommendations about any areas that need to be changed or improved.
The Office of Rail and Road is looking for people who caught a train without a ticket, or with an invalid ticket, regardless of the reason, and what happened.
Passengers can submit responses to the questionnaire until 17 January 2025.
Responses
Used to catch a train to work in a different city every monday morning. Every Monday morning for 2 months. I paid on the train every time, ticket inspector was happy to take payment this way. Then one random Monday, I was told that I couldn’t do that (apparently my station meas a penalty fair station, but only had 1 sign above the ticket booth telling you, not marked elsewhere on the platform) and I was fined £60. The inspector who issued the fine said ‘I bet I’ve ruined your day now’ grinned and walked off without proper explanation.
A guard told me they employ contractors as revenue protection officers who are ruthless.
Think on Northern now slightest thing and you’re prosecuted often without evidence.
It’s made the rail companies – especially the nationalised ones – look like scammers.
If the operator already gets redress through a fine then why should they prosecute as well.
Only persistent offenders get prosecuted.
That’s rubbish. Northern try to prosecute at every opportunity because they gain more revenue from it. They have no sense whatsoever of ‘treating customers fairly’ in the same way a local authority would. They are no longer a private company. Unfortunately some of their senior staff fail to recognise this.
I’m guessing that the reason why they are prosecuting Fare Evaders because they are Fare Evaders?
Why should fare paying customers be penalised by higher fares because some people don’t pay.
Either everyone pays or we all travel free
Nice to know the rail regulator is spending its tax payer funded money effectively.