Penalty fare query

[BMT_Cas]

Hi everyone. New to this forum

So today I was on a train (London north western railway). I travelled without a railcard knowingly (as the ticket was cheaper with a railcard and I could afford it. And without it was far expensive for me). Not excusing my behaviour but that is the reason why,

Ticket inspector comes up and I show my ticket. She asks for railcard. I said I don’t have it. The conductor then says you can upload it online but I’ll need your details.

I offered to pay the penalty fee and she was like are you sure? I fessed up to the lack of railcard and booking it purposely without one. I then paid the penalty fare on the spot(it was more than £20 as the initial ticket was only around £14, so double that).

I gave no details in the end, only paying for the penalty fare. Not sure/can't recall if they even scanned my ticket(which doesn't have any of my info in of course- happy to be proven wrong, but my ticket only showed the barcode and tcket validity)

I understand the need to travel validly now. Lesson learnt. I admit I’m in the wrong. But googling made me realise this is more serious than I ever would’ve thought. Seeing cases on this forum about unpaid fares etc/ court summons has scared me, albeit I have paid instantly.

I have a few queries

Is this the end of the matter? Will I be prosecuted or summoned to courts? Bear in mind the inspector didn’t take my details. Not my name. They asked for my address but I fumbled and offered to pay the penalty fee and that was it. (fumbling wasn't on purpose but rather due to stress)

Will this show up on my DBS check(enhanced too?). My name wasn’t asked for officially(only my address) and I didn’t give it. I have an incoming job which uses dbs (and maybe) enhanced dbs checks so just worried. Again, all they gave me was a receipt of my penalty fare being paid.

will I have to pay any more? Or is the penalty fare effectively a on the train fine? I’ve read online and I’ve read how people had to pay court fines (but this was due to not paying on the spot)

Finally, a quick question. I paid with my bank card. Will they be able to link my bank card to my adddress or name? I doubt they will do that since I paid the penalty fare. This is because my bank account is registered to my parents old house. They’ve moved out of this house so I wouldn’t want anyone to receive any letters etc. The receipt they gave once I paid my fare(penalty) only showed the last 4 digits of my card.

I understand this is perhaos me being paranoid but any insight would help

 

[Wolfie]

It's probably the end of the issue if you paid a penalty fare but l am truly amazed that they took no details else what is to prevent you doing the same again and claiming that it is the first time? How did you buy the ticket though? If it was online then they can access all of your details.

 

[Dai Corner]

If it was online then they can access all of your details.

and your purchase history.

 

[methecooldude]

It sounds like a case that because you were upfront and honest with them, there was no need to go any further then the PF.

 

[Fawkes Cat]

The idea of penalty fares is that they are a penalty without going anywhere near the courts. So once paid that’s the end of the matter. Nothing will go on your DBS, and there’s nothing to declare if a job asks if you have any criminal convictions or cautions.

However, it would be a good idea to remember that people who work on the railways aren’t stupid. The ticket inspector who let you have the penalty fare this time will remember you, and may not be so kind next time. So it’s really important to make sure that you pay the right fare in future.

 

[island]

Once a Penalty Fare is paid that is the end of the matter.

However, it would be a good idea to remember that people who work on the railways aren’t stupid. The ticket inspector who let you have the penalty fare this time will remember you, and may not be so kind next time. So it’s really important to make sure that you pay the right fare in future.

...and if the OP encounters another ticket inspector, he or she will be able to access records showing the previous Penalty Fare.

 

[greyman42]

It's probably the end of the issue if you paid a penalty fare but l am truly amazed that they took no details else what is to prevent you doing the same again and claiming that it is the first time?

Does the guard still get a cut of the fares that they sell?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Aren't penalty fares only meant to be issued for "honest" mistakes. The circumstances, as described by the OP, don't seem to be.

 

[skyhigh]

Does the guard still get a cut of the fares that they sell?

Not with a penalty fare.

 

[RPI]

I'd say you were lucky to only get a Penalty Fare for this, if its paid thats the end of it! Having worked on joint operations certainly with WMR their inspectors generally do seem to go for the easier option of a PF for most things.

 

[WesternLancer]

Hi everyone. New to this forum

So today I was on a train (London north western railway). I travelled without a railcard knowingly (as the ticket was cheaper with a railcard and I could afford it. And without it was far expensive for me). Not excusing my behaviour but that is the reason why,

Ticket inspector comes up and I show my ticket. She asks for railcard. I said I don’t have it. The conductor then says you can upload it online but I’ll need your details.

I offered to pay the penalty fee and she was like are you sure? I fessed up to the lack of railcard and booking it purposely without one. I then paid the penalty fare on the spot(it was more than £20 as the initial ticket was only around £14, so double that).

I gave no details in the end, only paying for the penalty fare. Not sure/can't recall if they even scanned my ticket(which doesn't have any of my info in of course- happy to be proven wrong, but my ticket only showed the barcode and tcket validity)

I understand the need to travel validly now. Lesson learnt. I admit I’m in the wrong. But googling made me realise this is more serious than I ever would’ve thought. Seeing cases on this forum about unpaid fares etc/ court summons has scared me, albeit I have paid instantly.

I have a few queries

Is this the end of the matter? Will I be prosecuted or summoned to courts? Bear in mind the inspector didn’t take my details. Not my name. They asked for my address but I fumbled and offered to pay the penalty fee and that was it. (fumbling wasn't on purpose but rather due to stress)

Will this show up on my DBS check(enhanced too?). My name wasn’t asked for officially(only my address) and I didn’t give it. I have an incoming job which uses dbs (and maybe) enhanced dbs checks so just worried. Again, all they gave me was a receipt of my penalty fare being paid.

will I have to pay any more? Or is the penalty fare effectively a on the train fine? I’ve read online and I’ve read how people had to pay court fines (but this was due to not paying on the spot)

Finally, a quick question. I paid with my bank card. Will they be able to link my bank card to my adddress or name? I doubt they will do that since I paid the penalty fare. This is because my bank account is registered to my parents old house. They’ve moved out of this house so I wouldn’t want anyone to receive any letters etc. The receipt they gave once I paid my fare(penalty) only showed the last 4 digits of my card.

I understand this is perhaos me being paranoid but any insight would help

Sounds like the penalty you paid will have been close to or more than the cost of a railcard (assuming you were entitled to one of the railcards eg correct age etc) - worth bearing in mind that calculation in future - tho i am sure you have thought of that by now. Sounds like you have learned a lesson from this so you might want to get a Railcard for future use if you can.

 

[Hadders]

A Penalty Fare is not a fine and anyone who is charged one is not being accused of avoiding, or attempting to avoid, paying their fare.

You don’t get a criminal record as a result of paying a Penalty Fare - a criminal record only happens if you are convicted in court.

You were very lucky to be issued with a Penalty Fare in your case because from what you said in your opening post you deliberately avoided paying your fare. The railway would’ve been well within their rights to prosecute you in the Magistrates Court.

Technically, they could investigate your purchase history and look to see if you had purchased a railcard. This is highly unlikely to happen as they don’t have your details and I’m not even sure there is a full record of everyone who has purchased a railcard, particularly those purchased at a station.

Money is very tight for many people at the moment but I do advise you to make sure you pay the correct fare in the future. You’ll also get good advice in the fares section of this forum if you’re looking for advice on good value tickets.

 

[BMT_Cas]

Sounds like the penalty you paid will have been close to or more than the cost of a railcard (assuming you were entitled to one of the railcards eg correct age etc) - worth bearing in mind that calculation in future - tho i am sure you have thought of that by now. Sounds like you have learned a lesson from this so you might want to get a Railcard for future use if you can.

agreed.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 30 Apr 2022 ==

It's probably the end of the issue if you paid a penalty fare but l am truly amazed that they took no details else what is to prevent you doing the same again and claiming that it is the first time? How did you buy the ticket though? If it was online then they can access all of your details.

Hi, I brought this from trainline. I never buy from the train companies directly, as trainline simplifies things for me.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 30 Apr 2022 ==

The idea of penalty fares is that they are a penalty without going anywhere near the courts. So once paid that’s the end of the matter. Nothing will go on your DBS, and there’s nothing to declare if a job asks if you have any criminal convictions or cautions.

However, it would be a good idea to remember that people who work on the railways aren’t stupid. The ticket inspector who let you have the penalty fare this time will remember you, and may not be so kind next time. So it’s really important to make sure that you pay the right fare in future.

Thank you, this is reassuring. And for sure a hard lesson I learnt.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 30 Apr 2022 ==

A Penalty Fare is not a fine and anyone who is charged one is not being accused of avoiding, or attempting to avoid, paying their fare.

You don’t get a criminal record as a result of paying a Penalty Fare - a criminal record only happens if you are convicted in court.

You were very lucky to be issued with a Penalty Fare in your case because from what you said in your opening post you deliberately avoided paying your fare. The railway would’ve been well within their rights to prosecute you in the Magistrates Court.

Technically, they could investigate your purchase history and look to see if you had purchased a railcard. This is highly unlikely to happen as they don’t have your details and I’m not even sure there is a full record of everyone who has purchased a railcard, particularly those purchased at a station.

Money is very tight for many people at the moment but I do advise you to make sure you pay the correct fare in the future. You’ll also get good advice in the fares section of this forum if you’re looking for advice on good value tickets.

Thank you- as for the purchase, this was done through trainline(Eticket).
This is reassuring- thank you. I will check out the fares section.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 30 Apr 2022 ==

I'd say you were lucky to only get a Penalty Fare for this, if its paid thats the end of it! Having worked on joint operations certainly with WMR their inspectors generally do seem to go for the easier option of a PF for most things.

Thanks- helpful response!

 

[Wolfie]

agreed.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 30 Apr 2022 ==


Hi, I brought this from trainline. I never buy from the train companies directly, as trainline simplifies things for me.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 30 Apr 2022 ==


Thank you, this is reassuring. And for sure a hard lesson I learnt.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 30 Apr 2022 ==


Thank you- as for the purchase, this was done through trainline(Eticket).
This is reassuring- thank you. I will check out the fares section.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 30 Apr 2022 ==


Thanks- helpful response!

If you bought from Trainline the train operating company can easily find out exactly who you are and access your ticket purchase history.

 

[BMT_Cas]

If you bought from Trainline the train operating company can easily find out exactly who you are and access your ticket purchase history.

yes, I thought so too. have learnt a hard lesson from this scare and grateful for just a PF.