Vertical Markets

Correct ticket campaign

by Mark Rowe

Arriva Trains Wales has launched a new advertising campaign to warn passengers that they are putting themselves at risk of being prosecuted and fined up to £1,000 if caught without the correct ticket to cover their train journey.

The advertising campaign aims to remind passengers of the consequences of not having a ticket and advises on methods available to purchase their ticket. Arriva Trains Wales employs Revenue Protection Teams to randomly descend on station exits and trains to check that passengers have the correct ticket. In recent months, over 1,400 cases have been taken to court, recovering over £10,000 in avoided fares.

Peter Northcott, Head of Revenue Protection and Security said: “Our message really is that people may think they are clever trying not to buy a ticket but it’s not so clever when they are faced with a prosecution and a fine. Those who are caught and prosecuted are generally facing fines of around £400. We also want to remind passengers that having a prosecution can possibly have a knock-on effect on future job prospects or applications for financial products such as loans and mortgages.

“We are clamping down on fare evasion because it has an impact on the amount of revenue that we can invest back into the network to improve passenger services. It is also unfair on the vast majority of honest fare-paying passengers – why should people be allowed to get away without paying the correct fare?

“It is the passenger’s responsibility to ensure they have the correct ticket for their journey and it is advised that where possible to plan their journey in advance or ensure they have enough time to purchase their ticket before they get on the train. The main problems we face are passengers buying a child ticket instead of an adult ticket, buying a ticket for a short stretch of their journey or not buying a ticket at all.

“We will always take genuine reasons for not buying the correct ticket into account but for the majority of cases it is a matter of people trying to cheat the system.”

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