An engineering graduate who was threatened with legal action after mistakenly using an invalid train ticket to travel on a Northern train has been told he will not face any further action for his mistake.
Sam Williamson, 22, mistakenly used his 16-25 Railcard for a journey between Broadbottom and Manchester last Thursday morning, before the concession card was valid at 10am.
He was traveling to a DSA center to take his driving theory test when he was told by Northern staff that his ticket was not valid. But stubborn staff refused to let him make up the £1.90 difference and insisted on filling out a penalty report.
Williamson was then threatened with legal action because he used an “anytime” ticket at the wrong time – namely before 10am, when Railcard's unclear rules mean tickets must cost at least £12 to qualify for the £33 discount. percent.
But the self-confessed theme park obsessive took to social media this morning, four days after first sharing his story online, to reveal he would face no further action over his mistake, writing: “We did it!”
After his tweets gained millions of views, however, he used his platform to call for a review of the rules on rail tickets – some of which are older than rail cards themselves and don't even mention them.
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Sam Williamson has been told he will not face any further action from Northern after it threatened to take him to court over a £1.90 fare difference
Williamson was traveling from Broadbottom to Manchester to take his driving theory test when he was told his train card was invalid for journeys under £12 before 10am.
Northern has been accused of taking an unnecessarily harsh approach to people using railcards on tickets they did not know were invalidated as a result
Williamson has fallen foul of an obscure rule about 16-25 Railcards that stops them being used for fares costing less than £12 before 10am on weekdays
Speaking to MailOnline today, Williamson said he was pleased Northern had reached the “correct” conclusion – but that the victory was bittersweet.
“The vast majority of people agreed that this was the correct answer, but in large part because this case received overwhelming coverage,” he said.
He called on the government to simplify rules around train tickets – something the Department for Transport has promised to do – but also says companies like Northern must show compassion to people who have struggled to make ends meet.
“There are more cases supposedly going to court on Monday with Northern and really that shouldn’t be happening, especially about (using) a Railcard before 10am,” Williamson added.
“Taking this to court is completely disproportionate and I hope the government takes action to stop them taking cases like mine: accidents caused by these terms and conditions.
“I hope they step in to stop this – especially as Northern is a publicly owned franchise.
'I would have bought the right ticket if someone had offered it.'
After sharing his story, Bolton News journalist Jack Fifield discovered that Northern had successfully sued other young adults who used their Railcards at the “wrong” time over meager train fares, costing people hundreds of pounds in costs. judicial.
This includes Cerys Piper, who received a criminal record and a £462.80 fine because she applied a £1.60 discount to a £4.80 'anytime' ticket.
To make matters worse, she bought the ticket from the station staff, who did not inform her that the ticket would be invalid before 10am, according to the archaic rules.
Williamson said he hopes other cases like his will be reviewed now.
“What is happening in these cases is not a fair and proportionate response,” he added.
“I hope that after trying to prevent this from moving forward, they can try to correct some of these past mistakes.”
Cerys Piper, pictured, was fined £462 after incorrectly applying a rail card discount to her train ticket
The government has promised to simplify ticketing on Britain's railways to make it easier for customers to understand. Pictured: Closed ticket office at Charing Cross station
Northern had previously issued a hard-line response to media questions about its approach to what it called “fare evasion” – even as people sought to buy a ticket for their journey.
It stated: “As with all rail operators in the UK, everyone has a duty to purchase a valid ticket or obtain a promise to pay voucher before boarding the train and be able to present it to the conductor or person responsible for safeguarding recipes during a flight. ticket inspection.
“The overwhelming majority of our customers – more than 96% – do just that.”
However, later in the week the company softened its stance, telling MailOnline on Thursday: 'Tens of millions of passengers travel with us every year to destinations across the North of England and we are committed to providing them with the right tickets at affordable prices. the right prices.
'We will work with industry and the Department for Transport with the aim of simplifying ticketing for customers.'
He has been contacted for further comment.
Williamson had previously used his rail card for early morning journeys in July and August when the 10am rule did not apply, BBC News had reported.
Oxford University engineering graduate bought wrong 'anytime' ticket on Northern App.
He previously told MailOnline: “It’s amazing to see how many people have been caught out by this. Northern Rail is one of the strictest when it comes to checking things.
“The fine is £150. It's extremely disproportionate compared to the difference between the ticket fair.'
He added: 'It's frustrating. This train line I have used for most of my life. In the past, you could board the train and buy a ticket.
“I think there is an element of being a little intimidated. I'm not trying to start a scene and cause problems.
'It seems unfair and a disproportionate response.'
Holders of 16 to 25 rail cards, which cost £30 for a year or £70 for three years, qualify for a third trip off the train.
The scheme was first launched as a “student card” in 1974.
But it comes with some restrictions, including a £12 minimum fare for trips starting before 10am.
Mr Williamson's ticket cost him just £3.95, thus making his trip ineligible for the grant.
He was not given the option of purchasing a new ticket or paying a fine and was instead given an incident report.
Northern Railway has refused to comment on its policy of not allowing customers to pay tiny fare differences on invalid tickets, insisting that 96 per cent of passengers comply
Train operating companies have the power to privately prosecute passengers who pay the wrong fare, but they can also opt for an out-of-court settlement or take no further action.
But opening a criminal case is an opportunity to extract from customers a fine much larger than a small fare difference or the cost of a new ticket.
A DfT spokesperson said: 'Ticketing has become too complicated, which is why we are committed to making it simpler for customers as part of the biggest overhaul of our railways in a generation.
“We expect Northern to ensure its ticketing policy is always clear and fair to passengers and we instruct the operator to urgently review the details of these cases.”
A spokeswoman for the Rail Delivery Group said: “We are unable to comment on individual cases. However, all customers are required to have a valid ticket and if using a Railcard it is important to be aware of the travel conditions that apply to your journeys.
“All staff involved in issuing penalty fares have discretion over the customer's individual circumstances. There is a robust legal appeal process for each sanction issued, which includes an independent final appeal stage to consider wider circumstances.'
