Millions of train passengers face 'prosecution' over 'honest error'


Millions of train passengers face 'prosecution' over 'honest error'

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Millions of train passengers face 'prosecution' over 'honest error'Some rail firms have excessively prosecuted alleged fare dodgers, according to the rail regulator.NewsJames Rodger Content


Editor06:59, 04 Jun 2025Some rail firms have excessively prosecuted alleged fare dodgers, according to the rail regulator. Train ticket enforcement must be fair and proportionate, a watchdog


has warned, amid ‘inconsistent outcomes’ across Britain’s network with some passengers punished for honest errors.


Some rail firms have excessively prosecuted alleged fare dodgers, according to the rail regulator. The ORR - Office of Rail and Roadc - has called on the Labour Party government to step in,


bringing clearer tickets and a fairer system to avoid penalising mistakes.


‌ Passengers who boarded trains without a valid ticket faced “inconsistent treatment and outcomes” across the network, with “disproportionate action” sometimes taken over small errors.


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The ORR also said it was vital that measures to tackle fare-dodging were “applied appropriately and fairly”. Stephanie Tobyn, the ORR’s director of strategy, policy and reform, said:


“Effective revenue protection is essential for a sustainable railway, but it must be fair and proportionate for passengers.


Article continues below “The legal framework and enforcement processes are increasingly complex and appear weighted towards industry, leaving some passengers who make innocent errors


vulnerable to disproportionate outcomes. But meanwhile, fare evasion remains a significant problem, and rigorous action should be taken against those who intentionally seek to defraud the


railway.”


Peter Hendy, the rail minister, said privatisation had “created a mess of deep-rooted issues across our railway”, and the creation of Great British Railways would “establish oversight and …


end inconsistent prosecutions and making sure passengers are treated fairly”.


He added: “Deliberate fare-dodging costs the taxpayer up to £400m annually and must be dealt with, but ham-fisted prosecutions that punish people who have made an innocent mistake is not the


way to do this.”


Article continues below A spokesperson for the Rail Delivery Group, which represents operators, said it welcomed the ORR’s “sensible recommendations”.


They said: “We need to strike the right balance addressing genuine, honest mistakes made by customers and taking firm action against those who deliberately and persistently seek to exploit


the system.”