PA Media
Train companies admit current ticketing system is complex and government promises reform
Despite what the name suggests, an Anytime train ticket doesn't always mean you can take the train at any time – if you use a youth rail card.
Engineering graduate Sam Williamson found out earlier this week when a train company told him he faced criminal prosecution for incorrectly using a ticket that cost him £1.90 less than he should have paid.
And several other cases are being shared on social media, in which people have been asked by the courts to pay hundreds of dollars for underpaid fares by just a few pounds.
Sales agent Cerys Piper told the Bolton News she didn't even know she was being prosecuted for incorrectly using her 16-25 rail card until she was contacted by a journalist.
She bought an anytime return ticket to work in Wigan and used the railcard to get £1.60 off the £4.80 ticket price.
But before 10 a.m., these cards cannot be used for discounts on Anytime tickets – something Cerys says she is unaware of. The court fined her £462.80 and she now has a criminal record.
At the heart of the problem is a ticketing system that customers find too confusing and feels like it's trying to surprise them.
Here are some of the many difficulties passengers may encounter:
“Anytime” fares which can only be used at certain times of the day depending on the type of railcard discount they were purchased with. Destination tickets that are only valid if you travel via a particular station. Train companies that allow you to purchase tickets from an on-board conductor. on some of their routes but not on others Some routes only allow travel with printed rather than digital tickets
The companies say passengers should check the rules and regulations, which are freely available for people to read. Customers say they are not clear enough when buying tickets.
Typically, a railway company writes to a passenger suspected of fare evasion by a driver.
They will review the circumstances and decide whether to prosecute for escape, for a breach of the rules – which is much less serious – or to take another step, such as an out-of-court settlement or dropping the case altogether. .
“Undermining public trust”
Passenger watchdog Transport Focus has called for train companies to treat passengers more fairly when they mistakenly underpay their fares.
“From talking to passengers, we know how confusing the current system is: no one thinks you should spend hours checking detailed rules and restrictions before boarding a train,” said Alex Robertson, Managing Director of Transport Focus.
“This is one of the reasons why we have long argued for the need to simplify fares and ticketing… Passengers must be able to be confident that sanctions are only imposed on those who deserve them. »
Chris Annous, of research organization More in Common, says their work shows Britons are frustrated by public bodies penalizing those who accidentally break the rules.
“The fact that railway companies pursue so intensely those who make minor errors in the complex ticketing process, and do not show the same determination to improve conditions for passengers, explains why so many people feel that the country just doesn’t work for ordinary passengers,” he says.
The government agrees and the Department for Transport has promised “the biggest overhaul of our railways in a generation, including simplification of fares”.
Among the options being considered are pay-as-you-go and digital subscriptions that can be used across the entire rail network.
Great British Railways
In September, Transport Secretary Louise Haigh outlined the creation of Great British Railways, a new body which will oversee the return of the rail network to public ownership.
The new Labor government believes it will reduce train delays and cancellations as well as simplify fares – but private train companies warn it will not necessarily solve the sector's problems.
They point out that the letter to Mr Williamson and the proceedings against Ms Piper were all carried out by Northern, a state-owned railway company.
“Creating a simpler ticketing system requires a regulatory change from the Government and the legislation currently going through Parliament to change who runs the trains will not solve this problem,” says Andy Bagnall, director general of Rail Partners, which represents private railway companies.
“This is not a problem that can be solved simply by removing the private sector from the rail sector.”
A Northern spokesperson said their drivers have “a very challenging role to play in tackling repeat and deliberate fraudsters and identifying customers who have made a genuine mistake”.
He adds that they understand that ticketing is complex and are talking to the government and the wider rail sector about how to simplify fares.
“Follow the London system”
A report published earlier this year suggested that a simpler ticketing system would help restore public confidence in the railways and generate more revenue that could be reinvested into the network to improve it.
It was commissioned by the Rail Industry Association, which represents a range of businesses including train manufacturers, signage manufacturers and ticketing companies.
Sam Bemment, who wrote the report, says the technology for a simple ticketing system already exists, but historically there hasn't been enough political will to put it in place.
“The railroad has essentially been a political football,” he explains. “Political cycles mean there has been no leadership or direction on what we want ticketing to look like. »
He cites London's contactless fare payment system – which works on local railways, the Tube and buses – as a global example of how a good ticketing system works.
He says such a system could be possible under Great British Railways, although the body would simply allow tickets to be used between different train companies – there is not necessarily a need to nationalize them.
“I think when we move to GBR, if we can get everything under one roof, then you as a passenger will have a relationship with the railway rather than all these many companies.”
This arrangement could mean that all tickets would be purchased from one organization and all complaints would be handled by one organization – a simpler system than the current system.
“Government and infrastructure change slowly,” adds Bemment. “But it currently seems to be gaining a bit of speed and momentum.”
BBC Radio 4 examines what are the railways for? This is an issue that has been ignored in previous reorganizations – which usually take place after a crisis or disaster. Daniel Brittain visits Greater Manchester to understand how the rail industry has changed and what its place in British society might be in the future.
