It’s well known and documented (though I’m sure some will disagree with the concept) that if you are to use an electronic ticket type you must have purchased it and in the case of the horrific M-Tickets, activated it before you board the train, and likely before you go through the barriers where this applies. However, does this apply from unstaffed stations where no other suitable ticket purchasing facilities exist? (No ticket office, no machine, or no machine that accepts cash*)
To use a random journey example, near me, Say you wanted to travel from Kiveton Park to London, changing at Sheffield.
There’s a ticket machine at Kiveton Park, but it only takes cards.
You are permitted to board the train and purchase a ticket from the guard, but the guard doesn’t show and you only have 10 minutes in Sheffield so decide to buy a ticket online, despite you not being obliged to do so, it’s the same price and it saves the potential hassle. At Darnall, RPIs board and are unhappy that the time stamp on the ticket is after you boarded the train, would they be legally entitled to hand out a penalty fare because you bought a ticket after commencing travel given that you now used a card to purchase the ticket instead of the cash you’d originally planned to give the guard?
TLDR
When using an electronic ticket type are you obliged to have purchased and activated it before boarding even if there are no suitable ticket facilities?
To use a random journey example, near me, Say you wanted to travel from Kiveton Park to London, changing at Sheffield.
There’s a ticket machine at Kiveton Park, but it only takes cards.
You are permitted to board the train and purchase a ticket from the guard, but the guard doesn’t show and you only have 10 minutes in Sheffield so decide to buy a ticket online, despite you not being obliged to do so, it’s the same price and it saves the potential hassle. At Darnall, RPIs board and are unhappy that the time stamp on the ticket is after you boarded the train, would they be legally entitled to hand out a penalty fare because you bought a ticket after commencing travel given that you now used a card to purchase the ticket instead of the cash you’d originally planned to give the guard?
TLDR
When using an electronic ticket type are you obliged to have purchased and activated it before boarding even if there are no suitable ticket facilities?