Hi
I travel to work every day on the Merseyrail network and can prove £1000’s spent on purchasing tickets almost daily.
One day in November there was a large queue for the train, which were on reduced timetable due to covid.
I decided to get on because I needed to get to work & knew based on previous experience during pandemic that what had become custom & practice for Merseyrail was to have a ticket desk at moorfields for this situation so you can pay other end.
I had used this desk facilitated by Merseyrail themselves on several occasions previously so boarded train with every intention of paying at other end at a station that has barriers.
On this particular day however, the ticket station was not facilitated & instead they were fining people.
I found this to be unreasonable & unduly unfair with no fair warning given that on this day they would not operate the system that has become custom and practice.
Since then the ticket desk has been in operation again & I have photographic evidence.
I did appeal but it was rejected. Now I have to decide whether to plead guilty or not guilty in court and am worried about facing court costs of £1000 if they reject my not guilty status.
Can any one offer advice. I do feel strongly that they have been unduly unfair & operate one system 99% of time and then change without fair warning 1% of time. I do feel I can prove I had clear intention to pay.
I travel to work every day on the Merseyrail network and can prove £1000’s spent on purchasing tickets almost daily.
One day in November there was a large queue for the train, which were on reduced timetable due to covid.
I decided to get on because I needed to get to work & knew based on previous experience during pandemic that what had become custom & practice for Merseyrail was to have a ticket desk at moorfields for this situation so you can pay other end.
I had used this desk facilitated by Merseyrail themselves on several occasions previously so boarded train with every intention of paying at other end at a station that has barriers.
On this particular day however, the ticket station was not facilitated & instead they were fining people.
I found this to be unreasonable & unduly unfair with no fair warning given that on this day they would not operate the system that has become custom and practice.
Since then the ticket desk has been in operation again & I have photographic evidence.
I did appeal but it was rejected. Now I have to decide whether to plead guilty or not guilty in court and am worried about facing court costs of £1000 if they reject my not guilty status.
Can any one offer advice. I do feel strongly that they have been unduly unfair & operate one system 99% of time and then change without fair warning 1% of time. I do feel I can prove I had clear intention to pay.
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