Bus inspector fine!

Snowwhite1123

Well i was on home today on the bus and some inspectors came on at a random stop, I had a first monthly pass for south yorkshire but i forgot that it was 2 days old!

So when i showed it the inspector said it was out of date and then he asked me if i got another one, i just said i probably left it at work.

So he made me fill in a form with my details (i should have gave fake details but i wasnt thinking) and im assuming im going to get something through post, but he said i have 10 days to appeal and can send a photocopy of my up to date pass.

Im no longer using first now because stagecoach is cheaper, if the letter comes through post and i still dont pay it then what happens?

I might just get someone elses pass and photocopy it because im not paying a ridiculous fine of £35 just because i forgot about the 2 days! i even asked if i could pay the normal fare of £1.60 for my journey but wasnt allowed.

clever_username

Before we get too far into this, you do accept that you're in the wrong here and not the bus company don't you? I mean you were on the bus and hadn't paid.

Bus companies, train companies, whoever, don't generally approve of this and take a rather dim view of it whatever the circumstances are. 'I forgot about the two days' probably isn't going to wash with them as an excuse.

Snowwhite1123 wrote: »

I might just get someone elses pass and photocopy it because im not paying a ridiculous fine of £35 just because i forgot about the 2 days

You could try I suppose. You also might end up in worse trouble.

Snowwhite1123 wrote: »

i even asked if i could pay the normal fare of £1.60 for my journey but wasnt allowed.

Of course you weren't!

That's like saying if I attempt to steal a DVD from Tesco and get caught then I should be able to just pay the £12, take the DVD and go on my way!

Owain_Moneysaver

Snowwhite1123 wrote: »

Well i was on home today on the bus and some inspectors came on at a random stop, I had a first monthly pass for south yorkshire but i forgot that it was 2 days old!

So when i showed it the inspector said it was out of date and then he asked me if i got another one, i just said i probably left it at work.

So he made me fill in a form with my details (i should have gave fake details but i wasnt thinking) and im assuming im going to get something through post, but he said i have 10 days to appeal and can send a photocopy of my up to date pass.

Im no longer using first now because stagecoach is cheaper, if the letter comes through post and i still dont pay it then what happens?

They take you to court, either civil, in which case you end up with a civil court judgement against you on your credit record, or criminal in which case you get a criminal record (and quite possibly your name in the local paper)

Bear in mind that most buses these days have CCTV, which may be linked to the ticket machine so they can watch who boards the bus and see what fare is recorded by each person. (I assume the buses are pay-on-boarding.)

Snowwhite1123 wrote: »

I might just get someone elses pass and photocopy it because im not paying a ridiculous fine of £35 just because i forgot about the 2 days!

That might be fraud or, if you put it in a false statement to the court, perjury or evading the course of justice. Judges take a dim view of such things.

Snowwhite1123 wrote: »

i even asked if i could pay the normal fare of £1.60 for my journey but wasnt allowed.

You could reply that the bus driver was at fault for not noticing your pass was out of date and giving you the opportunity to pay the correct fare on boarding, and offering the fare.

However, a lot depends on whether this is a fine or penalty fare charged by provision of statute law, e.g. a local by-law allowing bus operators to charge penalty fares, or is simply a contractual charge, which you could argue you are not liable to pay because you were not made aware of the terms of the contract before boarding or because it is an unfair contract term.

geordie_taxi

is that £35 a fine or an invoice ie a non-enforceable ticket like a private parking companys parking tickets? ie its a civil debt with no legal powers behind it. if it is then i would tell the bus company where to go

Strider590

^^ But isnt there a law against non-payment for goods and services?

Rossy.

Put simply

You had a pass that wasn't valid. You were travelling in effect with no ticket

Of course the company is within it's rights to fine you.

Grow some and pay it.

irishjohn

Looking at your other post it seems honesty is something you pay no regard to - you suggest you will lie to avoid prescription costs and I have no doubt the "memory lapse" about the expiry date of your bus pass is another convenient lie. I recommend you go ahead and photocopy another persons pass, therby implicating them in your fraudulent activity. And while you are doing so ask yourself just what people of your character bring to society.

geordie_taxi

Rossy. wrote: »

Of course the company is within it's rights to fine you.

Grow some and pay it.

only the police, council and courts can fine you the bus company will send you a invoice.

this invoice is a civil debt which will be chased up in a small claims court. is it worth it with costs for the bus company to take u to court for £35.

also 'grow some and pay it' very mature

Rossy.

geordie_taxi wrote: »

only the police, council and courts can fine you the bus company will send you a invoice.

this invoice is a civil debt which will be chased up in a small claims court. is it worth it with costs for the bus company to take u to court for £35.

also 'grow some and pay it' very mature

Immature?

So deliberately using a service without valid means and then trying to "squirm" out of paying is not immature?

I don't know where your from but i work for TFL. London Buses work different in regards to fines - WE DO PROSECUTE for fare evasion, it happens on a daily basis. We use hit squads which include the metropolitan police who issue the fine or arrest on the spot

You may think it's trivial but transport companies loose billions of pounds each year from people who think it's ok to take the pi$$ and travel for free

geordie_taxi

Rossy. wrote: »

London Buses work different in regards to fines - WE DO PROSECUTE for fare evasion

TFL have bylaws to enforce their prosecutions but does south yorkshire? if they don't my point is still valid.

Rossy.

geordie_taxi wrote: »

TFL have bylaws to enforce their prosecutions but does south yorkshire? if they don't my point is still valid.

I don't know if South Yorkshire do tbh.

Even if your point is valid, it still doesn't distract from my point that whether it's a civil debt or not it should be paid in principal.

Operating companies clearly state what will happen if your caught without a valid ticket. If your stupid enough to travel without a ticket then the company is fully within it's rights to issue a fine.

Also like you say going to court of a £30 fine or whatever may sound small but sometimes they like to prove a point whether it's cost efficient or not