Travelling on a train without a ticket? Everything you need to know about the penalties and exceptions
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Exclusive: What are the rules on travelling without a ticket – and how are they applied?. But people who mistakenly travel without a valid ticket are being treated too harshly, according to the rail watchdog. Transport Focus is urging train operators to implement a “yellow card” system for passengers caught without a ticket, giving them the benefit of the doubt on a first offence.
Meanwhile Ms Tobyn of the ORR is calling for evidence from passengers who have been given a Penalty Fare or actually prosecuted for travelling without a ticket. “We want to look at people who accidentally find themselves in this position and then end up with a criminal record,” she says.
The moves follow cases of users being prosecuted and fined heavily after inadvertently breaching railcard rules. These are the key questions and answers. The standard paper ticket, as issued by booking offices and ticket machines, is still common. But a 21st-century ticket can take many more forms than in the Victorian era, including:.
The basic principle is set down in the Regulation of Railways Act 1889. On request by a staff member, the rail passenger is required to produce “a ticket showing that his fare is paid”. The rather more modern National Rail Conditions of Travel from April 2024 specify:.
