Told We'll Receive Letter For Wrong Advanced Ticket

[amd123]

Hi,

Please could ask for some guidance on what might happen in this situation, as the ticket inspector didn't really say.

Me and my partner were getting a Northern train from Apperly Bridge to Leeds. We didn't get a ticket before getting to the station, as we thought there would be loads of time on the platform. However the previous train was delayed and had just arrived so we got on that one

My partner bought a ticket as soon as we got on, however didn't change the tock box and an advanced for the next train was automatically selected.

The ticket inspector said the ticket wasn't valid and we'd bought it after getting on the train. They took our details and said we'd get a letter but didn't really explain anything else.

There shouldn't be any other irregularities in mine or my partners ticket purchase history I don't think.

Is it a case that we'll get a letter with a penalty fare, £50 if we pay early and the price of the ticket each?

 

[John R]

You won’t get a penalty fare, as that has to be issued on the spot. So you need to see what they say when they write to you.

Just to clarify one point, if there are any issuing facilities at Apperly Bridge then you committed an offence as soon as you boarded the train without a ticket, regardless of whether you then bought the correct ticket for your journey.

 

[amd123]

You won’t get a penalty fare, as that has to be issued on the spot. So you need to see what they say when they write to you.

Just to clarify one point, if there are any issuing facilities at Apperly Bridge then you committed an offence as soon as you boarded the train without a ticket, regardless of whether you then bought the correct ticket for your journey.

Hello, thank you for your reply. There is a ticket machine at the station, we didn't buy one there first because the train had just turned up so we just got on thinking we'd buy one online on the way. To be honest I didn't really think about it.

Do you know what the letter is likely to say?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Do you know what the letter is likely to say?

Will probably say please pay £105.20 (being the unpaid £5.20 Apperley Bridge -> Leeds fare calculated at the Anytime Day Single rate, plus £100.00 in admin fees).

 

[amd123]

Will probably say please pay £105.20 (being the unpaid £5.20 Apperley Bridge -> Leeds fare calculated at the Anytime Day Single rate, plus £100.00 in admin fees).

Ahh cool thank you, much more! Sorry just one final question, I assume it's not worth going back and arguing it was a genuine error, unless I want to go to court or something, and just paying is the best option?

 

[John R]

Ahh cool thank you, much more! Sorry just one final question, I assume it's not worth going back and arguing it was a genuine error, unless I want to go to court or something, and just paying is the best option?

They could take you to court as boarding a train without a valid ticket is an offence. So it’s unlikely any such appeal would be heard sympathetically.

However, we’re a bit ahead of ourselves until we see what they say.

 

[amd123]

They could take you to court as boarding a train without a valid ticket is an offence. So it’s unlikely any such appeal would be heard sympathetically.

However, we’re a bit ahead of ourselves until we see what they say.

Cool thank you very much for all of the responses!

 

[amd123]

Cool thank you very much for all of the responses!

I thought I'd just add to this thread in case anyone looked at it in the future when something similar happened to them. We just got a letter asking us to pay the price of a anytime single in the end.

 

[Blinkbonny]

Oh that's good. A bit of common sense for once!

 

[mikeg]

Finally commonsense. Why of course was the passenger written up in the first place for such a simple 'offence'? Surely the admin cost of this farce was far more than just charging for a new ticket there and then, which is what happened with advance on the wrong train during a more sensible era.

 

[jamiearmley]

Finally commonsense. Why of course was the passenger written up in the first place for such a simple 'offence'? Surely the admin cost of this farce was far more than just charging for a new ticket there and then, which is what happened with advance on the wrong train during a more sensible era.

I would imagine that it's to build a picture of repeat offenders, with the aim that a new ticket is not the outcome for those that get reported a second , third or fourth time?

 

[John R]

That’s great to hear, and as others have said, finally a bit of common sense.