17 Year Old Son issued with a Travel incident Report

[kathsalmons]

Morning, i'm after some advise if possible. My 17 year old son has just rung me to advise he has been issued with a Travel Incident report for purchasing a childs ticket, he tells me he's done it before as thought because he was a college he was still a child ... i know unbelievable but we are where we are. The lady who dealt with him was extremely rude and he is now sat on the train in full panic mode as to what is going to happen, and to be fair so am I. He offered to buy the adult ticket but she said it wasnt neccesary which seemed odd, so i've advised him to as he will be returning from his journey later today, i have aslo just purchased him a rail card relevant to his age. I have tried to google what the consequences will be and it's not very clear as soon mention a £100 fine but will be reduced to £50 if paid within a cert timeframe, others mention prosecution ? How likeley are Northern rail likely to prosecute a 17 year old, does anyone know if this actually happens ! Seems a little drastic but also appreciate he's at fault for buying childs tickets. Wish he'd of mentioned that's what he was doing as would of advised he is classes as an adult and to buy the right fare. Any advise would be greatly appreciated TIA

 

[Hadders]

Welcome to the forum!

First thing, don’t panic. Your son isn’t the first to do this and he won’t be the last!

Next, we need to see the paperwork he was given. Can you upload a redacted copy of it in this thread as soon as you can so we can give you the best advice. If there’s one thing to do today it’s to make sure you mr don understands the importance of not losing the paperwork he’s been given!

Finally, we could do with knowing the stations he was travelling between and which train company he’s dealing with, although we should be able to deduce that from the paperwork.

 

[Blinkbonny]

Northern will usually settle out of court for tickets owed plus expenses .

If he's bought online and left a digital trail they will usually look it up.

 

[Pushpit]

I will add to the messaging that this is a nuisance but not the end of the world. There's no need to worry here. Northern are generally responsive and will not normally prosecute people - of any age - so long as they respond fully and respectfully to their letters / emails and are first time cases. This may take a few weeks to be resolved, that's almost the main punishment, keeping you on edge. There was one recent case where Northern were unimpressed with the passenger's response to the correspondence, but their reply was somewhat off beam, to say the least. By all means use this forum as a sounding board.

 

[WesternLancer]

have tried to google what the consequences will be and it's not very clear as soon mention a £100 fine but will be reduced to £50 if paid within a cert timeframe,

That is for a Penalty Fare - your son has not received one of those, but for info they are the 'least worst' sanction - apart from being verbally ticked off - you can get.

However, not all staff can issue them, they do not happen on all routes - where they operate Penalty fares is set out in regulations and legislation as they have safeguards like an appeal system, and most importantly they are usually not issued where deliberate evasion is suspected.

it sounds like your son, albeit perhaps unwittingly, did something that many people do who are deliberate evaders (ie buy a child's ticket when they are over the age) so they will have gone down the TIR route so it can be investigated in the back office - by which I mean look at ho many times this has happened before and seek what they are owed for it, which is not something the person on the train has time to get into of course.

People here will help you and your son resolve this in the least worst way.

Incidentally the 16-17 Saver Railcard may be the one best suited to his circs (bigger discount) if he is entitles to it - if that is what you have got check T&Cs and that he understands how to use it correctly - as failure to use the Railcard or to be clear on its validity is also a ticketing offense (see many threads on here....)

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 5 Mar 2025 ==

as he will be returning from his journey later today, i have aslo just purchased him a rail card relevant to his age.

also if you now have bought the Railcard - and he has it and can show it - just FYI he needs the correct ticket for the rtn journey showing the railcard discount that is correct for the Railcard he has - as opposed to the return portion of a child rate ticket (even if the price is the same)

Apols if this is obvious to you and your son but given what's happened just thought it worth mentioning.

 

[Gloster]

Just to make one point clear. Even though you have bought him a suitable Railcard he must be able to show it each time he travels with the appropriate reduced rate ticket. In particular, when he returns today he will need to buy a full price ticket as he will not have the railcard with him, unless you have somehow got it to him.

There is a once a year allowance for forgotten railcards (ones that were purchased before the start of a journey but have been left at home, etc.), but it is probably best not to use that the very first time. This allowance does not apply to this morning‘s incident as he didn’t have a railcard at all and it a case of a wrong ticket.

 

[jamiearmley]

Just one additional thing to mention, commonly parents buy their children digital rail cards on the parents train ticket app and then send the child a screenshot to use. You should note that this is not valid, and that any rail card displayed by your son should either be a plastic rail card which he physically produces or it should be a live digital rail card contained within an app on his phone, not a screenshot.

 

[kathsalmons]

Wow thanks Guys for all the comments i feel better now, he actually bought the student railcard after he had a lecture from me so he's all set up with that and also purchased a return ticket and bought the correct one. He was travelling from Leyland to Windermere and was on a Northern Rail train, i've uploaded the paperwork given to him. Many thanks again for the helpful advice

 

[notmyrealname]

Hi.

You seem to have left all of your son's details on the document. Best to cover them up for anonymity.

 

[WesternLancer]

Wow thanks Guys for all the comments i feel better now, he actually bought the student railcard after he had a lecture from me so he's all set up with that and also purchased a return ticket and bought the correct one. He was travelling from Leyland to Windermere and was on a Northern Rail train, i've uploaded the paperwork given to him. Many thanks again for the helpful advice

Thanks for update - Basically your son needs to watch out for a letter from them (or possibly an e-mail so also check spam regularly) in the coming weeks - typically by post assuming he gave a correct postal address. It's VITAL to get this letter and respond to it in writing (otherwise it's on the automatic conveyor belt to court etc etc)

When that arrives head back here for advice on how best to reply. Might take a few weeks before it comes.

In the mean time you should:

a) Make a list of all cases where child tickets have been bought since 16th birthday for any train journey with any train company (esp if on line) - Northern will check these records and likely ask for new tickets for those trips - keep that list for your own private records. Have that money to hand in order to pay promptly (instalments are not usually offered)

b) read a few other threads on here to get the idea of how these things play out, and how to respond

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 5 Mar 2025 ==

Hi.

You seem to have left all of your son's details on the document. Best to cover them up for anonymity.

also OP may be using their real name as username if they wish to ask mods to amend that I'm sure it can be done on request

 

[Trainman40083]

One observation. You say your son is 17 and you have bought him a Railcard suitable for his age.. IF that is the 16/17 one that gives the biggest discount, I think I am right in saying that expires the moment he is 18; not 13 months from when bought. Hope I have that right It gets mentioned every so often.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

One observation. You say your son is 17 and you have bought him a Railcard suitable for his age.. IF that is the 16/17 one that gives the biggest discount, I think I am right in saying that expires the moment he is 18; not 13 months from when bought. Hope I have that right It gets mentioned every so often.

Unless a season ticket has been purchased beforehand. That will still be valid for use for up to four months after the normal expiry of the 16-17 Saver railcard. The OP's son, will still, however, be eligible for a 16-25 railcard on reaching age 18 next February, although that then offers a smaller discount of 33% (not 50%), and is also subject to a £12 morning (peak hours) minimum fare.

 

[Trainman40083]

Unless a season ticket has been purchased beforehand. That will still be valid for use for up to four months after the normal expiry of the 16-17 Saver railcard. The OP's son, will still, however, be eligible for a 16-25 railcard on reaching age 18 next February, although that then offers a smaller discount of 33% (not 50%), and is also subject to a £12 morning (peak hours) minimum fare.

Thanks for the reminder. You could imagine someone nearly 18 buying a 16-17 Railcard, and it expiring before they get much use out of it