I GOT A PENALTY FARE FOR ONLY 10p!

[bayke]

HI ALL,

 

Hi all,

 

 

This morning I was traveling on the overground to go back home (only 4 stops), my oyster card had only £1.50 when I touched in (as I saw it on the screen), when i got to my stop I was intercepted by a bunch on revenue protection officers and they asked me to show my oyster card which I did and one of them told me to wait because there was something wrong. He explained me that the minimum to travel was £1.60 and I told them I didn't know I thought I was £1.50, He didn't want to listen my explanation and He kept saying that the fares has changed for 2013, I tried to explained him lots of times that I wasn't awared of all the changes and that it was only 10p, no matter what I said they treated me like a criminal and I felt humiliated.

 

After all that he decided to give me a penalty fare and aked me to pay £5 at that very moment which I paid, then he started asking me my details, I was very angry at that moment that I stupidly decided to give him a fake address (I thought i was a good idea) I gave him my student card where He took my name and I also gave him a fake date of birth as my frustration and anger made me do it.

 

After reading forums and comments it seems that the most reasonable thing to do is to pay it once you get a penalty fare. I am actually going back to my country in two week, so I don't know if it is worth it to pay or not . I have plans of coming to finish my studies later this year, so i'm afraid that my visa application gets refused because of this little detail.

 

I am willing to pay the remaining £35 and feel stupid for giving fake details reason why I am very worried of being persecuted for it and even worse getting my visa application refused.

if anyone can give me some comments I would appreciate it a lot.

 

 

 

Bayke

Edited January 11, 2013 by bayke

[honeybee13]

Hello and welcome to CAG.

 

Ouch, that post hurts your eyes to read. Capital letters usually mean shouting to me.

 

Is there any chance you can edit your post to be in lower case or at least in smaller font please? I really can't follow it, although stronger people than me might manage.

 

My best, HB

[chriswilson]

Hi Bayke,

First the bad news, it is an offence to give a false name and address to a revenue protection officer so if this ever happens again, always, always give your real name and your real address. The good news is that a penalty fare is not a criminal offence and therefore does not go on your record.

For future reference if you ever get caught out like this again it’s useful to know what your rights are. You do not have to pay the penalty fare there and then so NEVER, NEVER ever pay it on the spot. No matter what the revenue inspector says or threatens you with all you are obliged to do is give your correct name and address and pay the peak fare from the station where you got on to the one where you are have got off or intend to get off. If they want to charge you a penalty fare, make them write to you for it. There are plenty of ways you can argue your case afterwards.

Hope that helps.

Chris

[honeybee13]

Hello again and thank you for the edit, that's much easier. ) I've also reduced the font size to the one the forum usually works on and hope that isn't a problem for you.

 

It's nice to see that you've had a reply already, the forum regulars might be along later with more comments.

 

HB

[honeybee13]

Hi Bayke,

First the bad news, it is an offence to give a false name and address to a revenue protection officer so if this ever happens again, always, always give your real name and your real address. The good news is that a penalty fare is not a criminal offence and therefore does not go on your record.

For future reference if you ever get caught out like this again it’s useful to know what your rights are. You do not have to pay the penalty fare there and then so NEVER, NEVER ever pay it on the spot. No matter what the revenue inspector says or threatens you with all you are obliged to do is give your correct name and address and pay the peak fare from the station where you got on to the one where you are have got off or intend to get off. If they want to charge you a penalty fare, make them write to you for it. There are plenty of ways you can argue your case afterwards.

Hope that helps.

Chris

 

Hello chriswilson and welcome to CAG.

 

Thank you for advising; may I ask if you have a reference source for the advice you're giving please? Are you in the transport industry?

 

My best, HB

[bayke]

Thanks honeybee13, sorry for for the Capital letter.

Thanks chriswilson for the quick reply, I am not giving fake details no matter how angry I am.

[chriswilson]

Hello chriswilson and welcome to CAG.

 

Thank you for advising; may I ask if you have a reference source for the advice you're giving please? Are you in the transport industry?

 

My best, HB

Hello Honeybee,

No I am not in the transport industry. However, I have had a total of seven penalty fares issued to me over the past two years and successfully appealed all of them. Please don’t get the idea that I am some sort of serial fare dodger. All of my appeals were based on the same thing - the fact that my station was woefully understaffed and ticket machines were not working resulting in passengers having to wait an unreasonable amount of time to get a ticket . I was not the only passenger either and ended up acting on behalf of 22 other unfortunate victims, all of whom had been ripped off by their friendly train company.

Therefore the advice I have given is based on my own hands on experience and research.

Thanks,

Chris

[honeybee13]

Thank you for that, Chris.

 

Do you have any tips for our OP about how to resolve their current problem please?

 

HB

[firstclassx]

Hi Bayke,

First the bad news, it is an offence to give a false name and address to a revenue protection officer so if this ever happens again, always, always give your real name and your real address. The good news is that a penalty fare is not a criminal offence and therefore does not go on your record.

For future reference if you ever get caught out like this again it’s useful to know what your rights are. You do not have to pay the penalty fare there and then so NEVER, NEVER ever pay it on the spot. No matter what the revenue inspector says or threatens you with all you are obliged to do is give your correct name and address and pay the peak fare from the station where you got on to the one where you are have got off or intend to get off. If they want to charge you a penalty fare, make them write to you for it. There are plenty of ways you can argue your case afterwards.

Hope that helps.

Chris

 

This is inaccurate information.

You do not have to pay the Penalty Fare IN FULL, there and then, but you DO have to pay the full single fare for the journey you have already undertaken, PLUS purchase a further ticket if you are to continue travelling.

 

It is worth remembering that anybody who is issued a Penalty Fare could equally be summonsed for a Byelaw 17/18 offence, so it is not particularly wise to be uncooperative. A Penalty Fare is issued as an alternative to prosecution, but there is no obligation for the Inspector to offer you a Penalty Fare. They can choose to report you for prosecution instead.

 

Records are kept of people getting issued Penalty Fares/Unpaid Fares Notices. This is to ensure repeat offenders can be identified and accordingly dealt with. This is, however, will not appear on a criminal record, but CAN be mentioned if any subsequent cases end up in court.

 

Either way, the Penalty Fare is valid. You travelled without a valid ticket for your journey, and were unable to pay for the journey made. Ignorance of the fare is not a valid defence.

 

If the Penalty Fare remains unpaid, it will more than likely be cancelled, and a Court Summons issued instead, for breach of Byelaw 17 or 18.

[BazzaS]

 

I was very angry at that moment that I stupidly decided to give him a fake address (I thought i was a good idea) I gave him my student card where He took my name and I also gave him a fake date of birth as my frustration and anger made me do it.

 

After reading forums and comments it seems that the most reasonable thing to do is to pay it once you get a penalty fare. I am actually going back to my country in two week, so I don't know if it is worth it to pay or not . I have plans of coming to finish my studies later this year, so i'm afraid that my visa application gets refused because of this little detail.

 

I am willing to pay the remaining £35 and feel stupid for giving fake details reason why I am very worried of being persecuted for it and even worse getting my visa application refused.

if anyone can give me some comments I would appreciate it a lot.

 

 

 

Bayke

 

Did they check the address / date of birth and realise it was false?.

 

Did they get the correct address / DofB from you?.

 

If they only have the false address do you have a copy of the Penalty Fare Notice ?

 

I ask as if they know they were given fake details or it becomes apparent, this may have a bearing later on any prosecution.

 

If they didn't realise the details were false, and you have an unpaid fare notice with a reference number, you might decide to pay it to avoid the false details becoming apparent.

[thelife]

Does an Oyster not have a "buffer" of the amount of deposit paid, allowing the Oyster to go to negative balance and allowing the transport company to be paid? So your Oyster balance would have been -£0.10 and then if you top up by £5, your new balance will be £4.90?