Follow rules on buying tickets, says rail firm
A North East train operator is reminding all customers of the need to buy tickets for travel before they board.
Northern say they have have been spent millions of pounds on improvements to the network over the past 12 months and those returning to the railway following the coronavirus pandemic will find they have more options for ticket purchases – including improving its website and mobile app and more than 600 new ticket machines.
Jason Wade, head of retail operations at Northern said: “As well as giving our customers better ways to buy tickets, we’ve also introduced more new trains, completed the refurbishment of our older trains and delivered improvements at stations.
“We now need our customers to play their part by following the rules on buying tickets.”
On-the-spot penalties, which are either £20 or double the cost of a single fare for the journey taken – whichever is the greater - are being enforced on trains and at stations by Northern’s authorised collectors.
Jason added: “Our digital platforms and new ticket machines provide ample opportunity for our customers to be certain they are in possession of the correct tickets.
“Penalty fares and fines are designed to tackle the minority of rail users who persist in refusing to buy their tickets before boarding a train.
"They don’t exist to criminalise our customers and we understand there will still be some circumstances in which customers are unable to buy tickets.
"In these cases, our authorised collectors are able to use their discretion to ensure no-one faces unfair penalties.”