The Ticket Collector

No ticket? False details given?

If you travel on the Railway without the correct ticket and dont have a vaild reason or excuse, several things could now happen to you.

If you are stopped at your final destination you could be Penalty Fared twice the single fare or £20 whichever the greater, for your complete journey.

It is an offence to provide false details, or to refuse to provide details. The maximum penalty after conviction is up to 51 weeks prison. Regulation of Railways Act 1889 as amended by Criminal Justice Act 2003

You have the right of appeal on all Penalty Fare notices, You can do this by writing to the address on the Penalty Fare notice within 21 days and stating your reasons for appeal.

You could be recommended for prosecution, a statement may be taken by the Inspector and you will be contacted by the Fraud department of the Railway Company. Maximum fine is £1,000 plus costs. Regulation of Railways Act 1889. However if you swear or are abusive to the Inspector this could increase your fine. Public Order Act

Again it is an offence to provide false details, or to refuse to provide details. The maximum penalty after conviction is up to 51 weeks prison. Regulation of Railways Act 1889 as amended by Criminal Justice Act 2003.

It is your responsiblity to purchase a ticket for the whole of your journey before you get on the train. If there is a long queue at the ticket office/ticket machine, this does not allow you to get on the train without a ticket, it is still your responsibility to allow yourself sufficient time to buy a ticket before travelling.

At stations where there is only one self-service ticket machine there is a further automatic machine called a Permit to Travel machine. This is normally located near the station entrance / exit or beside other self-service machines. You should insert the maximum number of coins you have with you into the Permit to Travel machine, up to the value of your journey. Press the button and you will be issued with a Permit to Travel. Failure to insert the maximum number of coins may lead to you being issued with a Penalty Fare or recommended for prosecution for Permit Abuse.

If their is a genuine reason for you traveling without a ticket (such as ticket machine broken or ticket office closed) then you may not be recommended for prosecution or charged a Penalty Fare, but if there is another method of payment available then you may be issued with a Penalty Fare or recommended for prosecution.

The above information is intended as a guide only and should not be regarded as a complete or authoritative statement of the law or regulations. TheTicketCollector.co.uk cannot give advice on any Penalty Fares issued and cannot help in any Penalty Fare Appeals.