The Government is planning an independent review of rail fare prosecutions and enforcement following claims that train operators are taking disproportionate action.
Transport Secretary Louise Haigh is expected to announce today (13) that regulator the Office of Rail and Road will analyse how suspected fare evasion is handled.
The regulator will assess whether ticketing terms and conditions are clear for passengers and when prosecution is appropriate.
It is understood that Ms Haigh is not seeking to prevent operators taking action against people who deliberately avoid paying the correct fare.
A number of recent cases of passengers being prosecuted over small amounts of money have been highlighted in the media.
Last month, government-owned Northern dropped all action against engineering graduate Sam Williamson, who was reported to the operator’s prosecutions and debt recovery department for using his 16-25 railcard for travel on a service to Manchester.
Mr Williamson faced prosecution for paying £1.90 less than he should have done despite admitting his error and offering to pay a fine or a new fare, prompting widespread criticism of Northern.
The Department for Transport instructed the company to review its ticketing policy to ensure it was clear and fair to passengers and asked it to examine details of similar cases.
Northern responded by withdrawing all live prosecutions against those pursued in similar circumstances and promised to review historical cases.
The terms and conditions of Mr Williamson’s railcard specified the discount was only valid for on-peak services where the original fare was £12 or more. However, despite the small-print, he was able to buy a ticket that informed him he could travel at “anytime”.
