Train price tag enforcement will have to be honest and proportionate, watchdog warns

Some educate operators have excessively prosecuted alleged fare dodgers, in keeping with the rail regulator, which has known as for clearer tickets and a fairer machine to keep away from penalising errors.

A file by means of the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) mentioned passengers who boarded trains with no legitimate price tag confronted “inconsistent treatment and outcomes” around the community, with “disproportionate action” infrequently taken over small mistakes.

The evaluate, commissioned in November by means of the then delivery secretary, Louise Haigh, mentioned fare evasion price Britain’s railways loads of hundreds of thousands of kilos yearly and undermined the sense of equity amongst paying passengers.

However, the ORR additionally mentioned it used to be important that measures to take on fare-dodging had been “applied appropriately and fairly”.

Cases it famous integrated a passenger who used to be threatened with prosecution for by chance settling on a price tag related to the flawed railcard – although the cut price and fare paid had been the similar – and any other who confronted felony motion after a water-damaged printout may now not be scanned, in spite of them later offering evidence of the legitimate price tag.

The regulator prompt the Department for Transport to verify passengers get clearer details about tickets and their restrictions, and to introduce constant requirements for a way passengers are handled when price tag problems stand up.

Stephanie Tobyn, the ORR’s director of technique, coverage and reform, mentioned: “Effective revenue protection is essential for a sustainable railway, but it must be fair and proportionate for passengers.

“The legal framework and enforcement processes are increasingly complex and appear weighted towards industry, leaving some passengers who make innocent errors vulnerable to disproportionate outcomes. But meanwhile, fare evasion remains a significant problem, and rigorous action should be taken against those who intentionally seek to defraud the railway.”

Peter Hendy, the rail minister, mentioned privatisation had “created a mess of deep-rooted issues across our railway”, and the introduction of Great British Railways would “establish oversight and … end inconsistent prosecutions and making sure passengers are treated fairly”.

He added: “Deliberate fare-dodging costs the taxpayer up to £400m annually and must be dealt with, but ham-fisted prosecutions that punish people who have made an innocent mistake is not the way to do this.”

A spokesperson for the Rail Delivery Group, which represents operators, mentioned it welcomed the ORR’s “sensible recommendations”.

They mentioned: “We need to strike the right balance addressing genuine, honest mistakes made by customers and taking firm action against those who deliberately and persistently seek to exploit the system.”

The watchdog Transport Focus known as for a “yellow card” machine for passengers who trip with out the right kind price tag on a countrywide database.