Transport Investigations “administrative option” - is this fair please?

[Fare-Cop]

Thank you for a clear and detailed post, I'm sure that it will be helpful to others and its pleasing to see that you have arrived at a satisfactory conclusion

 

[some bloke]

I have to take responsibility for my first (and highly regrettable – but it was a natural response) reply of “Bristol”. I now fully understand the importance of this and how this was the root cause of the entire chain of events that followed.

I realise that @treep80 may be just happy to put this behind them, but is it really a satisfactory outcome? It was not established that they would gain anything by saying "Bristol", and it isn't clear what they are supposed to have done that showed intent to avoid a fare. Being thrown by the late arrival at Cardiff (putting treep80 off their usual procedure of buying there) is hardly a crime.

Maybe a letter to TfW management would be in order.

 

[some bloke]

If TIL's interest stemmed from concern at @treep80 saying "Bristol", then conceivably that would not have been a problem - and TIL would not have spent resources on the case - if the staff member had known Parson St was so near to Temple Meads. There may be other cases where the passenger is responsible for wasting a company's resources, but this doesn't seem to me clearly to be one of those cases.

So perhaps it would be worth asking TfW management whether this disposal - after TIL accepted that the "problem" was saying Bristol - is in line with their wishes and policy. The implication would be that they might want to consider whether they are happy for this payment to stand.

it’s a reasonable response from someone from Bristol.

Had I been asked what station have I travelled from, or when saying “Bristol”, to clarify exactly what station in Bristol, I would have said Parson Street.

yes it is the same fare ...(if I were travelling later today):

Parson Street to Bridgend = £22.90
Parson street to Cardiff Central = £13.80

Bristol Temple Meads to Bridgend = £22.90
Bristol Temple Meads to Cardiff Central = £13.80

the whole thing just looks like crossed wires!

Well, yes.

 

[gray1404]

You are correct that accepting an out of court (or administrative settlement) is not an admission of guilt in any way. It sounds like you have been offered such a settlement, accepted this and paid it? Is that right? If so, I am glad you out the outcome you wanted and this matter is now firmly closed. There cannot be any Court action now. The settlement bars that.

Can I ask as I might have overlooked, how much was the settlement for?

 

[Western Sunset]

I'm glad the OP has reached a conclusion they are happy with. However, the TOC made errors too, but they don't seem to have been held to account.

There is no such station as "Bristol". The railway staff should have taken better steps to clarify exactly where the traveller came from. I can totally understand the OP saying "Bristol" as the place of origin, trying to be helpful to the staff at Bridgend who may not have heard of Parson Street.
Suppose I was travelling from Spondon (a suburb of Derby) to Bristol. If I arrived at Bristol and was asked where I'd come from, I'd probably say "Derby".

If all that the OP told us was the truth, I feel that this hasn't been a just result.

 

[gray1404]

The person who stopped the OP should have taken action to clarify the specific station the OP had started their journey at, after the OP had initially said the general area they had come from.

I agree that a complaint should now be made to the train company. The advantage now is that the OP cannot be taken to court and they can escalate the matter within the train company and then to Transport Focus and/or The Rail Ombudsman.

 

[tiptoptaff]

I'm glad the OP has reached a conclusion they are happy with. However, the TOC made errors too, but they don't seem to have been held to account.

There is no such station as "Bristol". The railway staff should have taken better steps to clarify exactly where the traveller came from. I can totally understand the OP saying "Bristol" as the place of origin, trying to be helpful to the staff at Bridgend who may not have heard of Parson Street.
Suppose I was travelling from Spondon (a suburb of Derby) to Bristol. If I arrived at Bristol and was asked where I'd come from, I'd probably say "Derby".

If all that the OP told us was the truth, I feel that this hasn't been a just result.

But does Spondon have it's own, specific, railway station?

 

[Western Sunset]

Yes, and that's my point. The staff in (say) Bristol might not know about it, but they'd know about Derby.

 

[tiptoptaff]

Yes, and that's my point. The staff in (say) Bristol might not know about it, but they'd know about Derby.

But in the context of your journey and being questioned on a ticket, Derby isn't where you travelled from

 

[Fare-Cop]

But does Spondon have it's own, specific, railway station?

Yes it does, it's operated by East Midland Trains.

In the Derby area Spondon is much like Parson Street, Filton Abbey Wood, Lawrence Hill, Stapleton Road and others in the greater Bristol area,

These are all stations that commonly figure in short-fare and ticketless travel reports and the TOCs, Transport Focus and ultimately the Rail Ombudsman will be aware of this..

But in the context of your journey and being questioned on a ticket, Derby isn't where you travelled from

Exactly.

I know that this will upset some people, but to be perfectly blunt and although he is absolutely entitled to do so, I believe that suggesting that the OP now pursue a different complaint may be akin to 'tilting at windmills'.

Readers have only the details posted here to go by, I'm not saying the OP has intentionally withheld anything, but any further examination will be based on the process and how it was resolved, the fact that the OP had opportunity to debate and ultimately agree settlement terms and will correctly look at the evidence held by both sides. Here on the forum readers have not been a party to all of that.

By all means, the OP may exercise the right to complain.

 

[some bloke]

To clarify, this is suggesting a question rather than a complaint.

Maybe a letter to TfW management would be in order.

perhaps it would be worth asking TfW management whether this disposal - after TIL accepted that the "problem" was saying Bristol - is in line with their wishes and policy. The implication would be that they might want to consider whether they are happy for this payment to stand.