Penalty Fares Fines : Croydon Tramlinks

Jamie_T_2

My question is: I have been given 7 days to pay £21.00 stated within this letter received today or £50.00 if its not paid by that time. I have no money whatsoever and cannot find any work as I am actively looking for a job. How do I pay this amount within in 7 days? What do I say to them before all the admin charges starts to incurs. My mother cant afford to do this at the moment so I need to know what should I do. Do I want to go to court no but what other alternative do I have at the moment? I cant understand when this is classed as fare evading when I had a season travel card but forgotten it indoors. This is so wrong.

Jamie_T_2

Please note that I was not traveling to Wimbledon.

Livingthedream

You could try appealing to the following, it might work but I wouldn't hold my breath on it.

London Travel Watch and Passenger Focus

But as it's close to the 7 day payment deadline, you need to write to IRCAS stating your intent to appeal to a higher level, else by the time one of the above reply to you complaint your PF will have gone up to £50.

AirlieBird

Jamie_T wrote: »

I cant understand when this is classed as fare evading when I had a season travel card but forgotten it indoors. This is so wrong.

The TfL Conditions of Carriage state they have the right to charge you a penalty fare if you forget your Oyster card with season ticket on it. However, it also states

If you are issued a Penalty fare in these circumstances and you want to appeal, you must write to the appropriate Penalty fare appeals office within 21 days. You must enclose a copy of your printed ticket or information of your Oyster card, including serial number, together with your photocard where needed. We will normally uphold an appeal if you have left a valid printed ticket or Oyster card at home, but not if you have done this more than twice in any 12 month period.

On the point about touching in when you have a season ticket. The TfL Conditions of Carriage state

6.6. Using a season ticket on your Oyster card
6.6.1. When you use Underground, London Overground and National Rail services, you must touch your Oyster card on the yellow card reader (see clause 6.8.) at both the start and the end of your journey. If the ticket gates at stations are open you must still touch your Oyster card on the yellow card reader.

Edited to add DLR CoC also state you must touch in with a Oyster Season ticket. Tramlink CoC is the only one which states you do not need to touch in with a Season on your Oyster unless going to Wimbledon.

chuckley

people need to start posting correct information b4 they start to pull OP's story apart.

you DONT need to swipe when boarding a tram if u have a loaded bus pass or travelcard, UNLESS travelling to/from wimbledon.

if approached by any inspector on any bus/tram or train, their validator will see u have a valid pass.

Stigy

Forgive me if I'm missing something here, but did you have the Travelcard loaded on the same Oyster Card that you didn't have with you?

How old are you? Bear in mind if they thought you were fare evading, I imagine they'd take you to court as opposed to issuing a PFN. Trams aren't my forte, but if their Byelaws are the same as the national rail ones (TfL have their seperate sets of Byelaws for Buses and Trams I believe). TfL were under no obligation to issue an Unpaid Fare Notice or similar, if you couldn't produce a valid ticket.

geordieracer

Its all irrelevant as to whether they should touch in or not. The point is they were not in possession of a valid ticket to travel. Therefore its a penalty fare.

Section 9 http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/tramlink-conditions.pdf

bb21

I think that it is pretty clear cut.

Tramlink CoC states in item 6.1.3 that holders of season tickets do not need to touch in.

Furthermore TfL General CoC provides the answer to what the OP looks for. There is a provision for season tickets left at home, as detailed on page 46.

If you are issued a Penalty fare in these circumstances and you want to appeal, you must write to the appropriate Penalty fare appeals office within 21 days. You must enclose a copy of your printed ticket or information of your Oyster card, including serial number, together with your photocard where needed. We will normally uphold an appeal if you have left a valid printed ticket or Oyster card at home, but not if you have done this more than twice in any 12 month period.

Tramlink is under no obligation to issue an Unpaid Fares Notice. I don't actually think that they even have the mechanism to do so.

I have confidence that the OP's appeal has a good possibility to succeed, provided that the Oystercard had been registered, which I am sure it had been given that it is a 16+ Oystercard.

To the OP: Good luck in your appeal. I am sure that this is a good lesson and that you won't forget your Oystercard again.