Over 2,000 West Midlands Railway passengers given Penalty Fares

West Midlands Railway (WMR) has revealed that 2,014 people have been given a Penalty Fare within the first month of the penalty increasing.

Rail passengers are being reminded to not to avoid paying for their fare and buy a ticket before they travel.

Last month (23rd January) the Penalty Fare increased to £100 minimum charge, with a reduction to £50 providing that the penalty is paid within 21 days.

West Midlands Railway ran a campaign to publicise the increase of the fare, however are still handing out around 67 penalty fares a day.

Ticket checks have been increased by the network to ensure that the system remains fair for paying customers.

Birmingham New Street, Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham Snow Hill and Redditch were issued the most penalties so far.

The penalty increased from £20 or twice the full single fare to the next station. The increase applies across the rail network following a national consultation by the Department for Transport.

Passengers could face a Penalty Fare if they:

• Travel without a valid ticket
• Can't show an appropriate Railcard for a discounted ticket
• Travel in First Class with a Standard Class ticket
• Are travelling on a child ticket, but are 16 or over
• Travel beyond the destination on their ticket

More information on penalty fares can be found at https://www.westmidlandsrailway.co.uk/tickets-discounts/penalty-fares

Annamaria Izzard, head of revenue protection at WMR, said: “The increase to the Penalty Fare was brought in to help protect hundreds of millions of pounds of vital revenue for the railway which is lost through fare evasion every year.

“The number of penalty fares we have issued shows how seriously we take fare dodging and although the vast majority of our customers do the right thing and purchase before they travel, I hope the Penalty Fare scheme will encourage everyone to think twice about ticketless travel and attempting to evade the fare.”