The penalty for travelling without a valid ticket is to rise five-fold from January, in a government move to reduce the current high level of fraud - reckoned to be around £240 million a year.
The current surcharge of £20 is no longer considered a deterrent, so the new charge from the start of 2023 will be £100, reduced to £50 if paid within 21 days. While the train operator collects the money, it ultimately passes to the Government.
The current £20 fine, or twice the ticket price to the next station the train calls at, has been in force since 2005. There has been over 75% inflation since then.
The Department for Transport said the crackdown will help to modernise the railway system and ultimately reduce the cost to taxpayers “who are currently footing the bill of those passengers travelling without a ticket”.
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Richard Crompton - 03/11/2022 11:45
Good luck with persuading the train guards to enforce the fines
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Güntürk Üstün - 03/11/2022 21:06
Compared to £20, the £100 new fine seems likely to prompt the concerned train passengers to be more sensitive. However, we will naturally have to see the first results of this recent application in 2023! Dr. Güntürk Üstün
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Stephen Calver - 15/11/2022 13:28
If the ticket inspectors can be arsed to check tickets
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