Penalty Fare Notices in braille

[sefton]

A BBC News article today on Greater Anglia rightly getting a kicking from the ASA about telling fibs about paper season tickets which is being discussed elsewhere, with the article also touching on the poor implementation smart cards.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-48093535

However the bit which I thought was interesting as a separate point was the comment about penalty fares being withdrawn because the rail staff hadn't issued the penalty notice in braille to a blind customer.

Passenger Adrian Hare said he travelled regularly from Cheshunt to Cambridge with his guide dog.

A blind person, he uses the wide aisle or manual gates which "sometimes won't let me through because the gate readers don't recognise my smart card".

As a consequence, he said he had been issued with a penalty fare on "at least a dozen occasions" with staff failing to accept his smart card payment receipts as proof. But he said he managed to "get around" paying the penalty fares because station staff had failed to provide braille versions of the penalty notices.

 

[Surreytraveller]

Without reading the ins and outs, I would imagine someone without the ability to be informed about Penalty Fares due to their inability to be informed of them due to their disability would be exempt from them.
There is no reason that this exemption could not be made as a 'reasonable adjustment'

 

[farleigh]

What sort of person issued that Penalty Fare?

 

[Tetchytyke]

What sort of person issued that Penalty Fare?

The sort of person GA employ on gatelines. I've heard some right corkers over the years.

Leaving aside the braille Penalty Fare, it flies in the face of their own disabled travellers policy.

 

[Ralph Ayres]

Or, what happened to make that person (probably more than one) decide that a Penalty Fare WAS appropriate? I suspect we're not getting the full story here.

 

[reb0118]

Do certain blind passengers not receive free travel in any case?

 

[ComUtoR]

If I was dyslexic; would that also allow me to 'get round it' ?

 

[centraltrains]

If I was dyslexic; would that also allow me to 'get round it' ?

If you requested them to issue it on a dyslexic friendly paper (I believe some people with dyslexia find coloured paper backgrounds very helpful to reading) and they didn't comply, there could potentially be a case?

I'd be interested to know what the logistics of creating a braille penalty fare notice is like...

 

[Josie]

Do certain blind passengers not receive free travel in any case?

The only situation I can think of where this would apply is ENCTS pass holders whose issuing authority funds local rail travel as well (e.g. London Freedom Pass, or TfGM concessionary travel pass).

Otherwise there's no automatic entitlement to free travel for blind passengers. It's either a Disabled Person's Railcard, for the usual 1/3 off, or the special additional concession for blind people and wheelchair users who can get 1/3 off Anytime fares without a railcard.

 

[ComUtoR]

If you requested them to issue it on a dyslexic friendly paper

I got a letter from my Bank this afternoon. At the bottom it states I can have it in Braille or Audio. All my bills tend to have that at the bottom. I have never had a penalty fare but I'd be interested to know if it states something similar.

 

[Haywain]

At the bottom it states I can have it in Braille or Audio.

If you need it in either of those formats how will you know that they are offered? You're not likely to read it at the bottom of the letter!

 

[Josie]

If you need it in either of those formats how will you know that they are offered? You're not likely to read it at the bottom of the letter!

Maybe if your sight is failing and you expect to need it next time, or if you're visually impaired and have strained your way through reading a standard print document with great difficulty. Relatively few people have no sight whatsoever, and many people can benefit from adjustments like this without being totally blind.

Or even if you are blind and your sister currently reads all your post out to you, and you'd like her not to!

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

If you need it in either of those formats how will you know that they are offered? You're not likely to read it at the bottom of the letter!

I think it's designed for relatives, friends or carers of the individual who needs it!

 

[robbeech]

Exactly, hopefully a Penalty Fare notice wouldn’t be a common thing. But your bank statement. You would be able to apply for a Braille one, and they’d likely send those each month instead.

If you are visually impaired but have acceptable hearing then initially the person issuing the penalty fare should be taking you through the necessary details anyway by telling you. You should still have the option of other versions though.

As others have said, pretty desperate inspector.