Rail regulator demands fairer ticket enforcement after The Bolton News probe
The in-depth review, commissioned by the government, reveals the current system needs to work better for passengers, train operators and taxpayers alike.
The regulator, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), published a report that found travellers face 'inconsistent treatment and outcomes' for similar ticketing issues across the railway.
The report has found that rail companies are losing around £400 million a year to fare evasion.
And the report comes nearly a year after The Bolton News' landmark investigation into inconsistent ticketing, with passengers who purchased a train ticket advertised as being valid at "any time of day" have been taken to court and fined for using their ticket before 10am.
In one instance, we reported that a £5 ticket to Bolton ended up costing a woman more than £100 after she selected an option for a "26-30 Railcard" on her phone while she was buying it – despite not having a railcard.
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What should have been a cheap trip up costing the woman much more than she bargained for – with an onboard ticket inspector charging her more than £100 for the journey after it turned out her ticket had a 26-30 Railcard discount, despite her not owning a Railcard.
Other passengers affected included a 26-year-old man who was fined £462.30 for a £1.44 saving on a journey from Prescot to Liverpool.
The ongoing issue was later picked up by national media outlets and was later bought to Parliament by Birmingham MP Ayoub Khan.
As a result of the investigation, The Bolton News was also shortlisted for a regional press award.
The ORR found there are 'a range of circumstances' in which passengers may innocently travel without a valid ticket, such as forgetting their railcard or simply making a mistake.
The report stated: 'Making this more challenging is the railway's complex fares and ticketing framework.
'This has grown more complicated over time.'
The inquiry found that rail staff described how 'fare evasion is becoming normalised among certain passenger groups', and it is becoming 'increasingly more challenging to tackle'.
The inquiry made a series of recommendations to Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander and the Department for Transport, such as ensuring passengers have 'clearer information' about tickets, and creating consistency in how passengers are treated when ticket issues arise, particularly in relation to prosecutions.
ORR director of strategy, policy and reform Stephanie Tobyn said: 'Effective revenue protection is essential for a sustainable railway, but it must be fair and proportionate for passengers.
'Our recommendations aim to protect both industry revenue and support passenger confidence.
'Our evidence shows a system that has evolved over time where 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.'
A spokesperson for Rail Delivery Group, which represents operators, said it welcomed the ORR's 'sensible recommendations'.
She added: 'The rail industry will work on implementing the recommendations in line with our plans to create a simpler, better-value fares system.
'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.'
Last week, shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick posted a widely viewed video on social media in which he confronted people who forced their way through the ticket barriers at Stratford station in east London.
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