WMT Penalty Fare

[John R]

Penalising people who are trying to do the right thing

A couple who are "trying to do the right thing" would not pass a ticket office, ticket machines, board a train and not purchase online for 15 minutes after boarding.

 

[furlong]

A couple who are "trying to do the right thing" would not pass a ticket office, ticket machines, board a train and not purchase online for 15 minutes after boarding.

The OP stated:

In my mind, I didn't even know buying tickets after departure was a problem as I have bought tickets from train inspectors before.

This problem - of passengers assuming it's OK because on-board sales continue - was raised by the (long-defunct) SRA when it became responsible for Penalty Fares over 20 years ago, yet was largely ignored by the operators then - and still is. The situation remains unsatisfactory.

 

[AlterEgo]

Does this mean that when a ticket purchased after departure is detected, the response should be a report for potential prosecution?

An RPI can either:

- do nothing
- report for prosecution

That's it.

At the very least, it becomes better to offer no ticket rather than an invalid one.

What relevance do "invalid" tickets have to this discussion? I'm a bit lost - the ticket the OP had was valid.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 29 Sep 2025 ==

A couple who are "trying to do the right thing" would not pass a ticket office, ticket machines, board a train and not purchase online for 15 minutes after boarding.

They might, actually, if it was their intention to pay the correct fare. As @furlong states the fact that buying tickets on board is entirely normalised the situation is very bad.

 

[MarlowDonkey]

What relevance do "invalid" tickets have to this discussion? I'm a bit lost - the ticket the OP had was valid.

The point being that they had puchased tickets after departure, thus proving they had boarded the train without a valid ticket.

Don't we frequently see requests for assistance from people who have bought tickets after boarding and then had them challenged?

 

[island]

Only an amateur here, but is the OP at risk of WMT responding along the lines ' yes you are quite right, thank you for admitting this, we are withdrawing the penalty fare and reporting you for prosecution.'?

Theoretically yes, but I don't think I've ever seen it happen.

 

[AlterEgo]

The point being that they had puchased tickets after departure, thus proving they had boarded the train without a valid ticket.

Don't we frequently see requests for assistance from people who have bought tickets after boarding and then had them challenged?

The tickets aren't challenged, only the mere act of boarding in contravention of Bylaw 18. The tickets aren't the issue - the purchase time tells the inspector an offence has been committed.

 

[gray1404]

Did the op submit their first appeal in time? My fear is if it is declined it will shoot up to £100 as they don't understand the urgency of this.

 

[pyrrhic]

I would like to conclude that my first appeal was successful, I do not need any more help. Thank you for the submissions.

 

[Gonzoiku]

I would like to conclude that my first appeal was successful, I do not need any more help. Thank you for the submissions.

Thanks for the update, with good news, and the confirmation that your user name is now inappropriate!

GZ