This other thread discusses the overcharging of passengers:
https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/penalty-fares-thousands-of-passengers-overcharged.189482/
What I am trying to get my head round is why do we need Penalty Fares at all. Most people should understand that you need to buy a train ticket to travel, and that if they deliberately buy the wrong ticket or do not have a ticket, then they stand a chance of being caught and penalised. Why isn't the penalty (i.e. facing a by-law or RORA prosecution) standardised across the country? This would be easier for Joe Public to understand.
Therefore, should Penalty Fares be abolished, replaced by a standard process of prosecuction where an action is deemed to be deliberate, and discretion for honest mistakes?
https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/penalty-fares-thousands-of-passengers-overcharged.189482/
What I am trying to get my head round is why do we need Penalty Fares at all. Most people should understand that you need to buy a train ticket to travel, and that if they deliberately buy the wrong ticket or do not have a ticket, then they stand a chance of being caught and penalised. Why isn't the penalty (i.e. facing a by-law or RORA prosecution) standardised across the country? This would be easier for Joe Public to understand.
Therefore, should Penalty Fares be abolished, replaced by a standard process of prosecuction where an action is deemed to be deliberate, and discretion for honest mistakes?