I was pulled out of the paying queue by train inspectors to fine me for not paying! -help please

NBLondon

LadyDee wrote: »

I have never heard of a promise to pay ticket,

I guess this is what used to be called a Permit to Travel ? Smaller stations have/had machines that issue only these; the idea being that you get one to prove where you started your journey and then pay at the end or show it to the conductor when one appears. Otherwise a dodgy character could claim e,g, they had travelled 2 stops and pay £1.75 when they actually travelled 20 and owe £17.50.

owen_money

DCFC79 wrote: »

OP hasn't been back on since end of last month.
A 1 post wonder.

Maybe they're in jail for rail fare evasion?

ic

Sounds like Northern, as they've rolled this out on lots of lines locally to me. To make it confusing - it doesn't apply to all boarding stations, but they are filling in the gaps installing more and more ticket machines.

They do have prominent yellow signs on the way into the station and on the platform stating the need to pay before boarding.

Assuming the OP has a mobile, there are of course online apps available for buying tickets too.

https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/legal/penalty-fares

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

Milliesmum12 wrote: »

Hi - can anybody help please?
I was unable to pay for my train ticket at the kiosk at my local train station as there was nobody there at the time - there was no conductor on the train either .
At the other end there is a section specifically for people to pay after they get off the train before they enter the barriers. I was in the queue given my first opportunity to pay for my ticket. Unfortunately I was unaware of the ‘promise to pay’ ticket I should have picked up from the ticket machine at the first station having no idea this existed.
Myself and other passengers waiting in the queue to pay were pulled out and fined £20 for not having a valid ticket -I explained the situation but the answer was that I should have taken a photo of the empty kiosk to prove nobody was there!
I have appealed but this has been rejected on the grounds I should have produced a ‘promise to pay ‘ ticket . The ticket machine at my local station is new and at the time there were no signs visible indicating this needed to be done.
Can anybody offer any advise? I just feel this is very wrong -I was obviously not fare dodging and my only crime was not pulling a ‘promise to pay ‘ticket out of the machine in the first instance.

Yes. Pay the fine.

andygb

ic wrote: »

Sounds like Northern, as they've rolled this out on lots of lines locally to me. To make it confusing - it doesn't apply to all boarding stations, but they are filling in the gaps installing more and more ticket machines.

They do have prominent yellow signs on the way into the station and on the platform stating the need to pay before boarding.

Assuming the OP has a mobile, there are of course online apps available for buying tickets too.

https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/legal/penalty-fares

Not everyone has a smartphone with internet access, I have a basic mobile.
Our station does not have a permit to travel machine or a ticket office, it simply has a ticket machine.
The rail companies should be under some kind of obligation to provide adequate facilities so that customers can purchase tickets.

DUTR

andygb wrote: »

Not everyone has a smartphone with internet access, I have a basic mobile.
Our station does not have a permit to travel machine or a ticket office, it simply has a ticket machine.
The rail companies should be under some kind of obligation to provide adequate facilities so that customers can purchase tickets.

I would guess that is called a ticket machine?

MothballsWallet

DUTR wrote: »

I would guess that is called a ticket machine?

I think andy meant that the train companies should be required to have ticket machines in all stations, and not just ones they feel like putting them in.

DUTR

MothballsWallet wrote: »

I think andy meant that the train companies should be required to have ticket machines in all stations, and not just ones they feel like putting them in.

I think they are just obliged to making a travel purchase available.