Ticket Fine Appeal

[haider7171]

My train was at 9.54 and I got to the station at 9.52 I tried to buy a ticket using the ticketing machine but my card wasn't working on it. I was going to go to the operator and pay cash and that would lead to me missing the train and the next one I could have got would have been an hour later.
Would I have any success within an appeal?

 

[mikeg]

Who is the operator? Presumably you mean the guard? And not the assistant at the ticket office? Was there a ticket office? Or machine that accepts cash? At which station was this?

 

[jfollows]

In general, boarding a train without a valid ticket is a criminal offence, for which you can be prosecuted and end up with a criminal record. If you received a Penalty Fare, then please show us the paperwork because it may be possible to appeal on a technicality, and provide us the details requested in https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/please-read-before-posting-in-disputes-prosecutions.77759/

You are making us guess too much to be able to give you informed appropriate advice.

But it may be that you have the least worst option. Being too late to buy a ticket before boarding isn’t a valid appeal point.

 

[John R]

As others have said we need much more information, and a copy of the Penalty Fare form you were given. If you tried to pay using cash on the train, and there was no means of paying by cash at the station (either by machine, or a ticket office) then you are entitled to do that.

 

[AverageJoe]

Being honest even if you card had worked, would you really have had time to go to the machine purchase the correct ticket and board the train?

It seems you managed to board the train so that suggests you were able to enter the station, try to use the machine, select the correct ticket, find out the card didn’t work and then still board the train. All within 90 seconds (assuming the doors were being closed 30 seconds before departure)

Maybe it’s not impossible but those timings seem a little far fetched.