16 year old fined for not having adult ticket.

notakid

Hi my daughter was travelling today on West Midlands Travel and was fined £25.00 for not having an adult ticket. Her birthday was last week, she turned 16. It didn't cross her mind that she was no longer a child.

If I complain do I have a case? She is still at school and has only been 16 for a week or should I just pay the fine?

Trebor16

This might be a good one to take to the Consumer Action Group transport forum to get some more opinions. But did she actually pay for an adult ticket?

notakid

Thanks
No she paid for a child ticket, it didn't cross her mind that now she was 16 it classed her as an adult. She is still at school and all her friends paid child's tickets as they are still 15.

notakid

I've just looked at the web site mentioned and it looks I haven't a leg to stand on! I must pay and suck it up it seems!:cool::p

duchy

Turning 16 is quite a milestone for most kids so can understand why "she forgot" wouldn't get much of a hearing.

Unless there are learning difficulties rather than teenage lack of thought I really can't see what grounds you could appeal under. What did you have in mind to complain about ?

notakid

That she had only just turned 16 and didn't consider herself an adult?

She doesn't use the bus often, once in a blue moon and as we have free train passes she doesn't have to deal with paying for travel. I believe her when she says it didn't cross her mind that she should be paying for an adult ticket as her friends are all still 15 and she just followed suit.

Its an expensive mistake as I said before, I'm just going to have to pay the fine.

[Deleted User]

Hi,

jings, there has to be a cut off point, take it to the other end when the winter fuel/heating allowance cuts in.

Think it's late September, if you are born too late and miss it by a day, then you have to wait until next year.

Edit: haha, just noticed your username, apt for your daughter?

Livingthedream

notakid wrote: »

or should I just pay the fine?

TBH she's 16 now, a young adult who needs to learn some responsibility. I would get her to at least make a contribution towards the fine.

notakid

She's offered to pay it already, out of her birthday money. She is responsible and would have paid the adult fare if she had thought about it. It was only a pound more. She wasn't trying to get "away" with anything. She relied on habit rather than thinking it through.

[Deleted User]

Hi,

gosh, if you've got to pay it pay it, don't take it from the girl's birthday money.

Just a lesson learnt.

Does she not get a student pass kinda thing?

notakid

Course I'm not going to take her money, she offered that is enough. As I said I know she wasn't trying to break the rules on purpose.

She has a train pass because we get free travel but she doesn't use the bus often. About 8 times a year. She will need one from Sept when she goes to college.