Penalty Fare Notice given when attempting to buy a ticket

[6Gman]

Another approach would be to contact your MP explaining why you think that Penalty Fares are unfair and lobbying them for a change in the system, or to have the government remove the power to charge Penalty Fares. This is rather unlikely to bear much fruit though given our current mess in Parliament, and is going off topic here.

Be careful what you wish for. The TOC might then simply move to prosecution.

 

[furlong]

It's also noteworthy that if you offer to pay the correct fare but recieve a Penalty Fare instead, and this Penalty Fare is then subsequently overturned, your journey is actually free, and the train operator has lost its chance to charge you the correct fare for your journey.

This should still be considered a grey area (because it's not how the train companies want it to be), but it appears clearest if you pay first (which threads on here usually recommend), then win an appeal and are then legally entitled to a full refund. If you didn't pay the original penalty, it's less clear..

 

[gray1404]

I was running late, but so was the train, so there was time for one attempt to buy a ticket but not two. I didn't have to queue at the machine. I certainly did intend to pay for my ticket, and I got as far as asking for it.

Anyway, I have paid the Penalty Fare. I shall pop down there later maybe and have a look for posters/signage. Then into town to meet my friends. On the bus.

It certainly is worth checking on your way past. Let us know how you get on!

However, if there is sufficient signage and it is worded correctly then you will need to charge this one to experience and accept that it is important to buy before you board at stations where facilitates exist. £20 is a small price to pay compared to being reported for ticket-less travel.

 

[Starmill]

Be careful what you wish for. The TOC might then simply move to prosecution.

In this fictional universe where Penalty Fares were no longer permitted, there would be no reason to give train companies special powers of prosecution either. They've demonstrated beyond a doubt that they cannot be trusted with either. This is not on topic to help the OP, though.

 

[najaB]

In this fictional universe where Penalty Fares were no longer permitted, there would be no reason to give train companies special powers of prosecution either.

It's a good thing that they don't have unique powers then, isn't it?

 

[cuccir]

I was running late, but so was the train, so there was time for one attempt to buy a ticket but not two. I didn't have to queue at the machine. I certainly did intend to pay for my ticket, and I got as far as asking for it.

Arguably, if you had enough time to use the TVM, ipso facto you arrived with time to buy a ticket. The fact that this was because the train was late seems immaterial to me. You arrived with time to buy a ticket, but the TVM was unable to sell you one. If I was complaining, I'd leave out the "running late" element as what is important is that you arrived with enough time to buy a ticket.

 

[horsfordian]

As I said above, while the Penalty Fare was correctly issued, it is a bit unfair given the circumstances. Now that it's paid there's no harm in raising a grievance with the Customer Service side of the business over the unfairness of pulling someone from the queue at the ticket window to issue a PF.

Keep in mind though that being issued a PF doesn't imply criminal intent.

I might just do that, thank you najaB.

 

[horsfordian]

And this is exactly why the railway doesn't help itself at all with the way it goes about its policing. Now it will likely miss out on future revenue far more than the sum of the penalty fare, and when you multiply over many law abiding passengers this happens to then it really isn't a good situation.

Ironically, I'd have had to have taken the bus anyway because industrial action would have prevented my return journey!

 

[horsfordian]

Again, thanks to everyone who has offered opinion and advice.

 

[Kite159]

Just be thankful it was only £20 and your details didn't get taken down to be sent a lovely letter saying "pay us £80 plus the fare owed" like it was in Northern land before they introduced the scheme.