Rail firms accused of misusing courts for ticket errors / fare evasion (merged posts)

[whole diary]

[ChrisB]

From the ORR^» (Office of Rail and Road, formerly Office of Rail Regulation - about)

Call for evidence: Review of train operators’ revenue protection policies

We are carrying out an independent review of train operators’ revenue protection practices, including the use of penalty fares and prosecutions.

We'd like to hear from you if, for whatever reason, you boarded a train without a ticket, or with an invalid ticket, (or were told by rail staff this was the case), and as a result you:

were required to buy a new ticket for your journey or pay an additional fare
were required to pay a penalty fare, which included the cost of a new ticket
faced prosecution by the train operator
faced another action by the train operator
You should be aged 16 years or over to take part.

Ways to respond
Respond online.
If it is not possible for you to submit evidence online, you can also read the list of questions and write to:
Revenue Protection Review
Office of Rail and Road
25 Cabot Square
London E14 4QZ

If you are planning to write to us, please only send copies of any supporting documents and not the originals. You can redact personal data before posting. We are unable to return documents.   

Please send your response by 17 January 2025.

More about the review
In November 2024 the Secretary of State for Transport wrote to ORR and asked us to conduct this review. You can find more details on the review's scope, timeline and governance in the terms of reference. We will provide a final report to the Secretary of State no later than 15 May 2025. Our report will look to make recommendations on any areas for change and improvement.

You may also find it useful to read our guide which explains more about the process and the information we are seeking. /.... continues at link

[grahame]

From The BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page)

Train passengers are suffering unfair penalties for minor and often genuine mistakes in buying tickets, an inquiry has found.

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR^» (Office of Rail and Road, formerly Office of Rail Regulation - about)) said Britain's fare system was "complex" and that rail firms must stop taking "disproportionate action" against travellers.

Sam Williamson, 22, thought he'd bagged a £1.90 discount on a ticket using his young person's rail card, but was threatened with court action - now dropped - as the saving didn't apply before 10am on weekdays outside of July and August.

The Rail Delivery Group, which represents rail firms, said fare evasion costs the industry £400m a year but acknowledged the industry has to be "more consistent".