Rail passenger, 23, who got wrong ticket is slapped with HUGE fine and a criminal record... over £1.60 discount
A rail passenger was slapped with a £460 fine and a criminal record after accidentally applying for a £1.
A rail passenger was slapped with a £460 fine and a criminal record after accidentally applying for a £1.60 discount on her ticket.
Cerys Piper was left aghast after finding out she would have to repay more than 100 times the value of her ticket after the mix-up in September last year on a Northern Railway service.
The 23-year-old had been travelling to Wigan in her job as a sales agent when she bought an anytime day return ticket from the ticket office at Daisy Hill station.
But unknown to her, the £1.60 discount applied to her £4.80 ticket using her 16-25 railcard was not valid due to little known rule which means it cant be used with anytime or off-peak tickets under the value of £12 before 10am.
When on the train she was told her ticket was invalid, but only learned she needed to go to court when she was contacted by her local paper.
However, by that point it was too late and she had already been fined £462.80 and given a criminal record following the journey on September 12, 2023.
She is one of hundreds of people who have been prosecuted by rail companies for buying the wrong ticket, with operators now coming under pressure make sure their ticketing policies are clear and fair.
Cerys Piper, pictured, was left with a £462 fine after incorrectly applying a railcard discount to her train ticket
Sam Williamson, pictured, is facing a £150 after making a similar mistake when he too incorrectly applied a £1.60 discount to his ticket
Cerys told The Bolton News that she was given the incorrect fare from a manned ticket office and had mistakenly thought it was correct.
She said: Id gone to the lady at Daisy Hill train station and presented my 16-25 [railcard].
She took it and said yeah thats fine and handed me my ticket.
I got on the train and then I was told my ticket was invalid and that I couldnt use it.
Cerys, who works in an £11.44-an-hour job, said she wasnt aware she needed to go to Manchester Magistrates Court and is now paying back the fine to her mother who helped her out with the cost.
Cerys says she had been treated horrifically by the rail company and the experience of getting on the train will never be the same.
She said: Its just such sourness now getting on the train, because I used to love it, and it is kind of therapeutic.
It shows you really do mean nothing to them, at all, to do that, but it is what it is.
On Northerns own mobile app, open tickets specifically bought for trains before 10am will not offer a railcard discount.
However, if searching for a ticket on post 10am trains, there is still the option to buy an anytime ticket with a railcard discount - even if the cost is below £12, and therefore invalid before 10am with a 16-25 or 26-30 railcard.
There is no mention of this restriction when buying the ticket.
Northerns own app says the ticket is valid to travel any time of day - and those who choose to tap to read the tickets restrictions only see a message describing it as a flexible ticket with no time restrictions on when you can travel with normal railcard and child discounts available.
Even more confusingly, the 10am restriction does not apply in the months of July and August for those with a 16-25 railcard.
One person who was caught out by this distinction is Sam Williamson, 22, who is being threatened with court by Northern following a similar mix-up last month.
Sam, who lives in Charlesworth, Derbyshire, booked a ticket from Broadbottom to Manchester on Thursday, September 5, as part of a wider journey to London from Manchester - for which he already had a ticket.
Sam Williamson, pictured, said his £150 fine was hugely disproportionate compared to the difference between the ticket fare
Sam, pictured, says he offered to pay for a new ticket when he was informed of his mistake, but was told this would not be allowed
Not seeing a railcard discount available for the journey, Sam assumed the app had glitched and found an anytime ticket listed under a later train journey, with a railcard discount available, he said.
He bought the ticket, but found out on board the train that hed fallen foul of the 10am rule - which was not in force just days prior.
On board the train, Sam says he offered to pay for a new ticket - but he was told he would not be allowed.
Now, Northern has sent him a letter threatening him with prosecution.
He told MailOnline: Its amazing to see how many people have been caught by this. Northern Rail are one of the more rigorous ones when it comes to checking things.
The fine is £150. Its hugely disproportionate compared to the difference between the ticket fare.
He added: Its frustrating. This train line I had been using for most of my life. You used to be able to board the train and buy a ticket on it.
I think theres an element of being a bit intimidated. Im not trying to start a scene and cause trouble.
It just feels unfair and a disproportionate response.
Holders of 16-25 railcards, which cost £30 for one year or £70 for three years, qualify for a third off rail travel.
The scheme was first launched as the student card in 1974.
But it comes with a few restrictions, including a £12 minimum fare for journeys starting before 10am.
Sams ticket cost him only £3.95, therefore rendering his trip ineligible for the concession.
He was not given the option to buy a new ticket or pay a penalty fare, and instead an incident report was filed.
Train operating companies have the power to privately prosecute passengers who pay the wrong fare, but can also choose to settle out of court or take no further action.
But taking out a criminal prosecution is an opportunity to squeeze a far larger fine out of customers than a tiny fare difference or the cost of a new ticket.
Those who have been successfully prosecuted by Northern for this infraction have been accused of breaching the Regulation of Railways Act 1889.
This law pre-dates the invention of railcards by 85 years and the invention of smartphones by 120 years.
Northern Railway has been criticised by passengers for dealing with ticketing mistakes harshly. Pictured: A Northern Railway train in Leeds
The government vowed to simplify ticketing on Britains railways to make it easier for customers to understand. Pictured: A closed ticket office at Charing Cross station
The law specifically states those who travel without having paid their fare and with intent to avoid payment thereof are liable for a fine or even imprisonment.
Additionally, the National Rail Conditions of Travel states that those using a time-restricted ticket that is correctly dated but invalid for the service on which they are travelling should only be charged the difference between the fare they have paid and lowest price ticket for the train they are using.
The Bolton News asked Northern rail if Cerys criminal conviction could be overturned, whether any test is applied when deciding to prosecute, and why she had not been given the opportunity to pay the difference in fares.
Northern was also asked why it advertises anytime tickets as being valid to travel any time of day - even when a railcard discount is applied.
A Northern spokesperson said: As with all train operators across the UK, everyone has a duty to buy a valid ticket or obtain a promise to pay voucher before they board the train and be able to present it to the conductor or revenue protection officer during a ticket inspection.
The overwhelming majority of our customers - upwards of 96 per cent - do just that.
Northern said it is in contact with Samuel Williamson and that it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: Ticketing has become far too complicated, which is why we have committed to simplifying it for customers, as part of the biggest overhaul of our railways in a generation.
We expect Northern to ensure their policy on ticketing is clear and fair for passengers at all times and have instructed the operator to review the details of these cases urgently.
When contacted by MailOnline on Thursday, Northern said: Tens of millions of passengers travel with us every year to destinations across the North of England and we are committed to providing them with the right tickets at the right prices.
We will work with the industry and the Department for Transport with the aim to simplify ticketing for customers.
