Appealing penalty fare chances

[lj9090]

I'd have to look up exactly what it was, but it wasn't the TOC charter - there was some document dated from about 2002 or so which provided a framework TOC's had to follow before introducing a penalty fare scheme. One of these was to take steps to ensure passengers could reasonably buy a ticket before catching a train, and IIRC the guideline was to avoid queues of longer than 5 minutes peak or 10 minutes off peak. Or something along those lines.

I wouldn't want to try it again though.

 

[island]

They have to have a target of 3 minutes off-peak and 5 minutes peak, but there is no consequence of not meeting the said target.

 

[tuffles]

UPDATE!!!

My appeal's been accepted! I only have to pay £4.90 instead of the £20 penalty fare. Spending a total of £9.80 is still worse off than buying the £6.90 return ticket, but I'm happy with the outcome.

My appeal was accepted because I did wait a bit in the queue and did immediately notify the train guard when I boarded the train. Appeal may be rejected if I just sat in the train waiting for the guard to come to me which never happened.

 

[34D]

UPDATE!!!

My appeal's been accepted! I only have to pay £4.90 instead of the £20 penalty fare. Spending a total of £9.80 is still worse off than buying the £6.90 return ticket, but I'm happy with the outcome.

My appeal was accepted because I did wait a bit in the queue and did immediately notify the train guard when I boarded the train. Appeal may be rejected if I just sat in the train waiting for the guard to come to me which never happened.

Thanks for telling us. Does this last paragraph appear in their letter to you?

 

[bb21]

UPDATE!!!

My appeal's been accepted! I only have to pay £4.90 instead of the £20 penalty fare. Spending a total of £9.80 is still worse off than buying the £6.90 return ticket, but I'm happy with the outcome.

My appeal was accepted because I did wait a bit in the queue and did immediately notify the train guard when I boarded the train. Appeal may be rejected if I just sat in the train waiting for the guard to come to me which never happened.

It's good to see that common sense has prevailed in this case.

 

[jkdd77]

UPDATE!!!

My appeal's been accepted! I only have to pay £4.90 instead of the £20 penalty fare. Spending a total of £9.80 is still worse off than buying the £6.90 return ticket, but I'm happy with the outcome.

I'm glad for the OP, but this does raise a wider question of possible unfairness where a passenger is incorrectly issued a PF when he or she should have been sold a return fare, and ends up out-of-pocket even after the PF has been quashed, by virtue of paying for two (or even three*) singles (typically at 10p less than a return) rather than one return.

*If a passenger travelling on a day trip from A to C has been issued a PF from A to the next station B (which is itself later quashed), subsequently buys a B to C single, and then a C to A single, he or she will likely end up paying substantially more than the A to C return fare.