Thread: MetroLink Tram

The following is cut from two documents and may help you in this instance:

Firstly, the relevent piece from Greater Manchester PTE Byelaws:

AUTHORITY AND PENALTIES
2. (1) These Byelaws are made by GMPTE pursuant to the powers conferred upon it by Section 30 of the Greater Manchester (Light Rapid Transit System) Act 1988 and Section 10 of the Greater Manchester (Light Rapid Transit System) (No 2) Act 1988.
(2) Any Person contravening any of these Byelaws shall be liable upon summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale (as defined in Section 37 of the Criminal Justice Act 1982).

(3) Any person who is reasonably suspected of contravening, or attempting to contravene, any of these Byelaws: -

1. shall upon being requested to do so, give his name and address to any Authorised Officer;
2. may be removed from any vehicle or from the System by force if necessary by any Authorised Officer.
3. without prejudice to Byelaws 2(2) and 2(3) above, the Operator may, where a person has either been convicted of an offence on the System other than under these Byelaws, or where a Person has been convicted of any breach of these Byelaws, by written notice to the Person concerned prohibit that Person from entering any Vehicle or Station and any breach of such a prohibition shall constitute a breach of these Byelaws.

CONDITIONS OF CARRIAGE
3. PERSONS who are passengers on the System shall comply with the Conditions of Carriage, these Byelaws, and, in relations to those parts of the System which are used jointly with the British Railways Board, with any Byelaws issued by the British Railways Board.

TICKETS AND CONCESSIONS
1) EXCEPT with the permission of an Authorised Officer, no person shall enter any Vehicle or Station unless that person:
a) has a valid ticket enabling him to do so; or
b) (i) has every intention of procuring a valid ticket enabling him to do so and
(ii) has proof of the ability to purchase a ticket enabling him to do so; or
c) in the case of a Person entering any Station, has every intention of meeting another Person at that Station
2) No Person shall remain upon a vehicle after the point at which his ticket ceases to be valid.
3) No Person shall alter, deface, mutilate or destroy any ticket or use or attempt to use any ticket which shall in any material respect have been altered, defaced or mutilated.
4) Any Person shall if so requested by any Authorised Officer deliver up his ticket for inspection to such Authorised Officer and such Authorised Officer shall be entitled to retain such ticket if it shall be found to have expired or to have been altered, defaced, mutilated or be invalid.
5) No person (save for an Authorised Officer acting within the scope of his duties) shall sell or purchase or attempt to sell or purchase any ticket or transfer or receive or attempt to transfer or receive any partly-used ticket nor shall any Person knowingly use or attempt to use any ticket which has been sold, purchased, transferred or received in contravention of the foregoing provisions of this Byelaw.
6) In connection with any scheme for the provision of concessionary travel on the system, no Person shall: -

1. make use of or attempt to make use of any concession provided for by such scheme except to the extent and for such time as he may be entitled so to do, subject to do, subject to the conditions of the scheme; or
2. (being a person entitled to make use of any such concession) obtain or attempt to obtain the use of such concession for and on behalf of any other Person.

7 Where fares for journeys on the System vary dependent upon the time at which the ticket therefor is purchased, no Person shall make use of any ticket purchased at reduced fare outside any time constraints applicable thereto except to the extent authorised by the Conditions of Carriage.


THIS SECTION IS REPRODUCED FROM GMPTE CONDITIONS of CARRIAGE


FARES
4. The passenger is liable to make a prepayment or be in possession of a ticket or other authority to travel before making the intended journey.The prepaid fare for the journey is set out in GMPTE’s Official Fares Table, which is available for inspection at GMPTE Trading Office.
5. A passenger found to be on a Metrolink vehicle, or on a station platform having just alighted from a vehicle, without a ticket or pass or other approved authorisation to travel valid for his/her journey will be liable to pay a Standard Fare of up to £80 or such other amount as may be determined by Stagecoach Metrolink from time to time and may be liable to prosecution.
6. Stagecoach Metrolink operate an escalating standard fare policy, the number of offences committed determines the standard fare payable. Passengers may pay the Standard Fare immediately to Stagecoach Metrolink’s authorised officers. In this instance, passengers will benefit from a reduced rate and may continue their journey. Alternatively the passenger must pay the Standard Fare within 21 days of issue. In such circumstances the passenger will also be required to purchase a ticket for their onward journey. Payment of the Standard Fare should be sent by post to Customer Services at Stagecoach Metrolink the address is shown at the bottom of these Conditions. Alternative methods of payment are shown on the reverse of the Standard Fare Notice. Failure to pay the 4th offence at the time will result in legal proceedings being commenced in order to recover any outstanding debts.

GENERAL NOTES
A) These Conditions constitute a part of the contract which will exist between GMPTE and individual passengers wishing to travel on the Metrolink system.
B) These Conditions and Regulations may be altered without notice and
are without prejudice to:-
(i) The rights of passengers under the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977, or any statutory modification or re-enactment thereof, and (ii) The Byelaws relating to the Greater Manchester Metrolink System (hereinafter called ‘the Byelaws’, as enacted under the Greater Manchester (Light Rapid Transit System) Act 1988, and the Greater Manchester (Light Rapid Transit System) (Number 2) Act 1988, copies of which may be inspected at the office of GMPTE at 2 Piccadilly Place, Manchester, M1 3BG, or purchased from GMPTE at a price determined by GMPTE from time to time.

Now I have one important question for Matboo

Have you actually received an £80 penalty notice??

From reading their regulations, it seems that the £80 penalty is only applied where persons have had three previous warnings.

The scheme is not subject to 'The Railways (Penalty Fares) Regulations 1994'
That only applies where specific authority is granted for railways meeting the criteria determined by DfT.

There is a reference to joint operation with the British Railways Board in the information above and although I haven't checked this bit, if some parts of the system run on former BR routes, it is likely the The Regulation of Railways Act 1889 could still provide the authority to prosecute any allegation of 'intent to avoid a fare'.

So far as the Byelaws are concerned, any allegation seems to be of a 'strict liability' offence.

If you can show evidence that the machine was broken and there was definitely no other machine or means of buying a ticket before boarding, you might get them to reduce their claim, but if not, and if you have had three previous warnings hence the £80 penalty, I think you would be best advised to pay up.

Hope that helps