Fare evasion - is it worth it?

[Bletchleyite]

It's in the map legend:

Penalty Fare Station in orange

Pay train station in black

Compulsory ticket station in blue

So it is, sorry.

 

[Bantamzen]

I would like to know why it is that some Train Operating Companies take such a lax stance on revenue protection that it can actually be cheaper to fare evade then to buy tickets for regular journeys. For the record, I am not actually condoning such behaviour.

Just to clarify, by evade are you referring to people who arrive at a station with no intent to pay unless challenged, as opposed to those arriving at a station fully intending to pay but given no opportunity to do so (say for example because the TVM is faulty)?

 

[yorkie]

It's in the map legend:

Penalty Fare Station in orange

Pay train station in black

Compulsory ticket station in blue

They should change the wording to no longer refer to "Pay train"; I guess the person who made this leaflet has not heard of the "Paytrain" brand and also didn't consider that some people will interpret the use of that terminology to mean that any facilities the train company provides can be ignored.

@MPotter if the station where you commence your journey (or an interchange station where you have sufficient time between changing trains) has facilities for you to buy your chosen ticket using your chosen payment method, I advise against making a choice to deliberately not purchase a ticket for no apparent reason other than you just don't want to.

This advice applies even if the station is not within a Penalty Fare scheme. This is because, if it was deemed that you deliberately chose not to purchase a ticket because you were attempting to avoid payment, you could be prosecuted under the Regulation of Railways Act for deliberate fare evasion which is a recordable criminal offence, and if it was not deemed to be deliberate the relevant train company may still prosecute you under the Railway Byelaws (though this would not lead to a criminal record and the fine would be smaller). But even if not reported for any offence, you are liable to pay the full fare for the journey (ie. the undiscounted Anytime fare)

I am aware that at some stations a sign exists stating passengers may buy tickets on board the train. It is unclear if the company intends for this to be the case without limitation and if the company takes the view that customers can choose to deliberately not use any facilities they provide for no apparent reason.

That said, the existence of a sign stating you may buy on board should be sufficient to get you out of any such legal bother but it might not be without a fight and it is very probable that the sign would end up being removed.

I would find it disappointing if someone acted in such a way that such signs were to be removed, as these signs are a good way to reassure passengers who were genuinely unable to buy a ticket (e.g. the machine does not accept their payment method, or sell the specific ticket they require).

Penalty Fares are higher than normal fares which some train companies make, under certain circumstances, they are not fines and anyone who is charged one is not being accused of deliberate fare evasion, but commencing a journey that is outwith a Penalty Fare scheme does not in itself make you immune from prosecution.

 

[TurbostarFan]

Just to clarify, by evade are you referring to people who arrive at a station with no intent to pay unless challenged, as opposed to those arriving at a station fully intending to pay but given no opportunity to do so (say for example because the TVM is faulty)?

Correct.

 

[Bantamzen]

Just to clarify, by evade are you referring to people who arrive at a station with no intent to pay unless challenged, as opposed to those arriving at a station fully intending to pay but given no opportunity to do so (say for example because the TVM is faulty)?

Correct.

Thanks, in which case I'd totally agree that deliberately attempting to evade paying for your journey is something that TOCs & indeed network Rail (where they manage stations) & DfT need to make more efforts towards reducing. Sadly on some parts of the network its terribly easy for evaders to do so. Sure they can throw random checks into the mix to act as a deterrent, but more needs to be done. At some larger stations without permanent revenue protection measures (gateline staff for example) it may be prudent in the long term to encourage TOCs to increase coverage. At smaller stations I'm not sure what the answer is. I know on some routes I've used over the years, certain busier services have had extra staff onboard on a permanent basis to check & collect revenue.

Of course any measures to increase revenue checks / collection will mean extra costs to the TOCs, but I am sometimes surprised that the accountants at some aren't climbing the walls at the level of loss. In the long run less evasion means more revenue, which could / should mean less in the way of increases to the vast majority of honest passengers. Personally I'd like to see a complete restructure of the franchising system to put the onus for revenue collection onto to the public sector, with TOCs simply contracted to operate services on behalf of DfT, paid for by said revenue with any additional subsidy. But that's probably for another debate.

Edit: It seems Northern have been listening, this afternoon's 15:56 Leeds-Skipton had two Northern guards on board, one dispatching and one revenue checking though both had ticket machines! (This is probably due to training of course, I'm sure its nothing to do with me )

 

[bhb]

I travel frequently between Liverpool St and the Essex coast. I do always have a valid ticket, but, the number of times it's been checked have been very few, and seem to have been reduced further since various local ticket offices were closed.

 

[TurbostarFan]

Apart from a leaflet from 2002 I couldn't find any reference to "Paytrains" other than unverified claims on this forum. So in the absence of any evidence... I would note that you claim that Norwich - Ely is a route where you can pay on the train, despite the fact that both Norwich and Ely stations have signs up that say that Penalty Fares apply to Greater Anglia services from those stations. I don't see how it could be both.

You mentioned 'Paytrain' first in connection with West Midlands Trains, and I can't find any sort of evidence that their routes used to operate as "paytrains".

I actually meant East Midlands Trains but I was mistaken, what I should have said is that their services allow you to buy onboard between Wymondham and Brandon (inclusive). They don't officially permit it where a TVM and/or ticket office is available but in practice they turn a blind eye.