Stopped by conductor/took details next step?

[husikr27]

Hi there, so yesterday I made the journey from Finsbury Park in London to Peterborough, I had the intention to buy a ticket as I had no time as the train was about to depart I went onto to the train thinking I could purchase a ticket on board. The conductor did not come on until the Huntingdon stop and he asked for a ticket, and I asked to buy one where he refused and asked me to pay a £20 fine. I did not have the £20 so he took my name, details and my mother's name as I am under 17. It was on the great northern service, anyone know what will happen next and how much i'll have to potentially pay??

Any help would be much appreciated as, I'll be in a deep hole of trouble when my parents find out, so just wondering if anyone knows what the next step is??
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any ideas on what happens next???? would like some answers please

 

[najaB]

any ideas on what happens next???? would like some answers please

Next GN will write to you (or your parents since you are minor) asking you to put forward any valid reasons why you shouldn't be prosecuted. Hint: "I didn't feel like queueing up." isn't one.

You've made the situation harder for yourself by not paying the Penalty Fare when it was offered - it is likely to end up costing significantly more either through an administrative settlement with GN, or a fine imposed by the court. I would expect either to be in the low three-digit range.
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The conductor did not come on until the Huntingdon stop and he asked for a ticket, and I asked to buy one where he refused and asked me to pay a £20 fine. I did not have the £20...

Out of curiosity, the cheapest single from Finsbury Park to Peterborough appears to be £16.90 - how comes you didn't have £20 for the PF?

 

[A-driver]

GN do not allow tickets to be purchased on board and there are plenty of posters at Finsbury Park advising this. You MUST have a ticket before boarding.

There are also no conductors on GN trains, only a driver so no one to sell tickets. So when you say the guard didn't come round till Huntingdon, what actually happened was that a ticket inspector got on there to check everyone onboard had a valid ticket, not to sell tickets. Unfortunately they will not accept not having time to buy a ticket as a valid reason.

 

[Clip]

Out of curiosity, the cheapest single from Finsbury Park to Peterborough appears to be £16.90 - how comes you didn't have £20 for the PF?

Because the OP was bunking the train of course.

 

[husikr27]

Next GN will write to you (or your parents since you are minor) asking you to put forward any valid reasons why you shouldn't be prosecuted. Hint: "I didn't feel like queueing up." isn't one.

You've made the situation harder for yourself by not paying the Penalty Fare when it was offered - it is likely to end up costing significantly more either through an administrative settlement with GN, or a fine imposed by the court. I would expect either to be in the low three-digit range.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Out of curiosity, the cheapest single from Finsbury Park to Peterborough appears to be £16.90 - how comes you didn't have £20 for the PF?

A three-digit range?? something in the £100's?, and did not have enough only had £17 and they would not accept the fact that I was £3 short. I couldn't also pay the Penalty Fare at a later time. But a three digit sum? would it possible appeal this? would this also go onto my record if it goes through court? As you said I am a minor

 

[husikr27]

GN do not allow tickets to be purchased on board and there are plenty of posters at Finsbury Park advising this. You MUST have a ticket before boarding.

There are also no conductors on GN trains, only a driver so no one to sell tickets. So when you say the guard didn't come round till Huntingdon, what actually happened was that a ticket inspector got on there to check everyone onboard had a valid ticket, not to sell tickets. Unfortunately they will not accept not having time to buy a ticket as a valid reason.

This was my first time travelling from Finsbury to Peterborough using the Great Northern service, and I was in a rush I did not notice any posters as I just made onto the train. I would have paid the PF on the train but was short by a few pounds, and was told I cannot pay it the next day.
So I'll be getting prosecuted then?

 

[husikr27]

I was not locking to bunk, this was my first time catching a train from Finsbury Park to Peterborough. My first time using the Great Northern service. I did not have the £20 for the PF. I had £17 to be precise and I was not allowed to make a partial payment or a payment at an separate date. I was told either pay full £20 now or give your details. Would this result in me having a criminal record of any sort?

 

[bb21]

If the RPI did not come on until Huntingdon then the Penalty Fare should not have been £20, it should have been twice the single fare to Peterborough, which is £49.80. You would not have had enough money to pay the minimum requirement of the standard single fare, which is £24.90, anyway.

 

[najaB]

A three-digit range?? something in the £100's?, and did not have enough only had £17 and they would not accept the fact that I was £3 short. I couldn't also pay the Penalty Fare at a later time. But a three digit sum? would it possible appeal this? would this also go onto my record if it goes through court? As you said I am a minor

Yes, if you are able to make a private agreement with GN or if a fine is imposed by the court it will probably have a '1' or a '2' and a couple of digits behind it.

If it does go to court then yes, it could possibly leave a record. It depends on what legislation GN choose to use.

 

[furlong]

I am under 17.

How old are you?

Were you given any paperwork to take away?

(In the case of Penalty Fares being issued to children, no payment should normally be taken on the spot.)

 

[Mojo]

Yes, if you are able to make a private agreement with GN or if a fine is imposed by the court it will probably have a '1' or a '2' and a couple of digits behind it.

Not in my experience. Ignoring for one moment the hassle for a Toc of actually taking an under 18 to court, a fine is calculated based on what the person can reasonably pay.

 

[husikr27]

How old are you?

Were you given any paperwork to take away?

(In the case of Penalty Fares being issued to children, no payment should normally be taken on the spot.)

I am 16, and nope I was offered a penalty fare didn't have enough to pay, and they wouldn't allow a partial payment either. So they took my details and said the rail company will send a letter home?

 

[husikr27]

Not in my experience. Ignoring for one moment the hassle for a Toc of actually taking an under 18 to court, a fine is calculated based on what the person can reasonably pay.

So will it be a fine or a letter of prosecution? I've learned from my mistake defiantely through all this, just hope it is a reasonable fine as I can't afford much due to being in full time education with no income

 

[rdwarr]

Playing Devil's Advocate a bit but you will be asked.
How did you know the fare was £16.90 if you had never made the journey before?

 

[Darandio]

Playing Devil's Advocate a bit but you will be asked.
How did you know the fare was £16.90 if you had never made the journey before?

But the fare wasn't even £16.90 anyway, was it?

The vast majority of the whole story doesn't sit right at all, Clip sums it up pretty well.

 

[Deerfold]

But the fare wasn't even £16.90 anyway, was it?

The vast majority of the whole story doesn't sit right at all, Clip sums it up pretty well.

Cheapest single from Finsbury Park to Peterborough at a weekend is £16.90.

http://www.brfares.com/#faredetail?orig=FPK&dest=PBO&rte=28&tkt=CBB

However that would make the Penalty Fare £33.80 unless the OP was thought to have boarded later than Finsbury Park.

The £16.90 fare is the same to Huntingdon.

 

[bb21]

However that would make the Penalty Fare £33.80 unless the OP was thought to have boarded later than Finsbury Park.

AIUI £16.90 is not the "full single fare", but £24.90, making the Penalty Fare £49.80

This is why I pointed out earlier that the OP would not have had enough money to make the minimum payment anyway.

It also makes you wonder what those RPIs were doing if they wanted to charge a £20 Penalty Fare.

 

[Clip]

It also makes you wonder what those RPIs were doing if they wanted to charge a £20 Penalty Fare.

The cynic in me would say its quicker to administer

 

[husikr27]

AIUI £16.90 is not the "full single fare", but £24.90, making the Penalty Fare £49.80

This is why I pointed out earlier that the OP would not have had enough money to make the minimum payment anyway.

It also makes you wonder what those RPIs were doing if they wanted to charge a £20 Penalty Fare.

Like I said before, they asked for £20 as a PF, and I asked if i could pay this at a later day or as a partial payment and they refused to that request and asked for my details. Which I was very hesitant to give, until they mentioned bringing in the British Transport Police to which I gave my details in

 

[Islineclear3_1]

With respect, perhaps it is sometimes not obvious the differences between a guard and an RPI - it's just a man in uniform to some people

Perhaps its a bit early to ask if you've had the letter yet?

You can only hope the TOC might show some leniency, but although you are still a child/teenager, it might be that adult fares start from when you're 16 (rather than 18) and you are made an example of.

You will have to sit it out and wait for the letter from the TOC

 

[bb21]

Like I said before, they asked for £20 as a PF, and I asked if i could pay this at a later day or as a partial payment and they refused to that request and asked for my details. Which I was very hesitant to give, until they mentioned bringing in the British Transport Police to which I gave my details in

And like I said before, you could not afford to make a partial payment (minimum required £24.90) towards the Penalty Fare (which if correctly issued should have cost you £49.80).

The minimum payment required at the time of issuing the Penalty Fare is the full single fare (£24.90 in your case - see Penalty Fares Rules, 8.2), which you did not have (since you were not even able to pay £20).

If you cannot make the partial payment then you will not be offered the Penalty Fare under normal circumstances, hence this has now escalated further.

 

[husikr27]

And like I said before, you could not afford to make a partial payment (minimum required £24.90) towards the Penalty Fare (which if correctly issued should have cost you £49.80).

The minimum payment required at the time of issuing the Penalty Fare is the full single fare (£24.90 in your case - see Penalty Fares Rules, 8.2), which you did not have (since you were not even able to pay £20).

If you cannot make the partial payment then you will not be offered the Penalty Fare under normal circumstances, hence this has now escalated further.

Fair enough I understand that, now what will it escalate to prosecution?

 

[Islineclear3_1]

Fair enough I understand that, now what will it escalate to prosecution?

Nobody knows what the TOC will do at this moment in time. You will have to wait for the letter to arrive in the post