Trains - Fare Evasion

lauraza

This morning I was stopped as I was leaving my train station for apparent fare evasion and was wondering if anyone had any advice on this? My journey starts at a station with no office/machine, and the conductor did not come into my carriage, and on leaving the station I did not pass any inspectors. The person who stopped me said I should have queued up at the main ticket office, I suppose this is fair enough but when my train was already 10 minutes late and I had to get to work, I prioritised work over queueing up for 10 minutes to get a ticket! They said it is likely I will be fined. Any advice would be appreciated.

robt_2

Well they are quite right saying that you should have paid when you got off. Do you walk into a shop and not bother paying for your items if there is a queue, or if you are late? If you were not prepared to do that then you had the option of purchasing a ticket from the conductor. Nothing to stop you going to him if he didn't come to you.

Are you in a penalty fares area? Is there no office, machine, or permit to travel machine?

You sound like you deliberately did not pay and have been caught out - tough luck.

This morning I was stopped as I was leaving my train station for apparent fare evasion

It was fare evasion.

Tojo_Ralph

lauraza wrote: »

This morning I was stopped as I was leaving my train station for apparent fare evasion. The person who stopped me said I should have queued up at the main ticket office, I suppose this is fair enough. Any advice would be appreciated.

Advice on what? ..... From what you have said you were caught bang to rights?

lauraza

If you feel I deliberately did not pay I'm not really sure what to say, I do the same route every day and have done for the past 2-3 years, and every morning I have paid via the conductor on the train or via the ticket gate, so there never has been a chance to evade fares or deliberately not pay even if I wanted to!

On this occassion I did not have a chance to buy a ticket from the conductor and the ticket gate was unmanned, I was genuinely unaware of the rule that you have to pay retrospectively.

I did not realise that everybody who does not get the chance to pay has physcially seek out a ticket vendor and buy a ticket after they have travelled, I don't think the other people on my train who did not get to buy a ticket realised this either.

I could not physically reach the conductor because the train was full with people stood up in the aisles as it is every day, he usually starts at the end where I sit so I usually manage to get a ticket every morning, today he started at the other end for some reason. Apart from this I have a mobility problem so it wouldn't have been feasible, this is why I sit near the cabin where the conductor is every day.

Not sure what you mean by a penalty fares area so can't answer your question I'm afraid.

Thanks for your input, but anyone who has a constructive answer as opposed to an unhelpful chastisement would be welcome.

robt_2

lauraza wrote: »

Not sure what you mean by a penalty fares area so can't answer your question I'm afraid.

I assume it was not in a penalty fares areas because you say there is no ticket office or machines, but what station was it you got on at?

Thanks for your input, but anyone who has a constructive answer as opposed to an unhelpful chastisement would be welcome.

What do you want people to tell you? That everything will be ok? What are you actually asking for advice on?

lauraza

Perhaps I'll just end the post here, it's just that it's never happened to me before and I wasn't aware of the rule. I thought some other people may have been able to shed light on this type of thing, it was a genuine mistake based on a rule that I didn't know existed. I've never travelled without a rail ticket from a station with a machine/office, and I was just a bit upset about the whole thing and worried about the fine. I wasn't planning on a repeat of the dressing down from the inspector this morning, I could understand your response if I was evading fares on a daily basis but I don't. This is the first time it's happened to me. Was worth a try, maybe I'm just used to a more sympathetic ear! Have a good day everyone

Mutter_2

Buy a season ticket. Saves money and you will have paid-- in advance.

rosysparkle

But when you got off the train and didn't have to buy a ticket at the gate, did you think "goody, the train company must be having a free day" or did you think "I've travelled on the train and not paid for it, I had better rectify that"?

If you sometimes pay at the ticket gate after you get off the train, that is paying "retrospectively" so I honestly don't see why you weren't aware you should have paid.

lauraza

rosysparkle wrote: »

But when you got off the train and didn't have to buy a ticket at the gate, did you think "goody, the train company must be having a free day" or did you think "I've travelled on the train and not paid for it, I had better rectify that"?

If you sometimes pay at the ticket gate after you get off the train, that is paying "retrospectively" so I honestly don't see why you weren't aware you should have paid.

Yes I see your point here. I suppose I've just paid in the train or at the gate and never thought what my reaction would be if I didn't have the chance to do either.

lauraza

Mutter wrote: »

Buy a season ticket. Saves money and you will have paid-- in advance.

As I travel in only 3 days a week it's cheaper to get a £1.40 ticket every day rather than pay over £10 a week, I looked into this but it would be around £9 a week more.

robt_2

Once again, if you tell us what station you got on at people might be more able to help you with what the 'fine' might be.