£5.90 train ticket costs fare dodger £650

A crack-down on fare dodging has seen West Country railway passengers fined hundreds of pounds for failing to buy tickets costing less than £10.

This week, 18-year-old Stephen Smith, from Paignton in Devon, was ordered to pay £649.90 for dodging a £5.90 train fare, while Luka Matthews, from Saltash in Cornwall, was told to hand over £869.90 after failing to buy an £11.60 ticket.

The cases form part of a continuing campaign to stop fare dodging on Great Western trains. Earlier this month, 19 others were prosecuted for similar offences, including two who were ordered to pay nearly £650 each for evading £3.60 fares.

"I think it is... worth pointing out that the 'fine' in these instances is determined by the court, not by any train operator," a Great Western spokesman tells the North Devon Journal.

"Fare evasion costs the rail industry about £240 million a year. To make sure that customers who pay for rail travel are not unfairly subsidising those who choose to avoid paying passengers are required to purchase a ticket prior to boarding a service from station ticket offices or from the available ticket vending machines."
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Over the last couple of years, several people have been prosecuted for fare dodging on a massive scale. Last March, for example, 44-year-old Mark Mason of Doncaster was ordered to pay more than £17,000 after forging first-class tickets.

A year earlier, a city hedge fund manager was forced to pay £42,550 in dodged fares and £450 in legal costs after using an Oyster card to avoid paying his fare from Stonegate in East Sussex.

Last year, the government promised new guidance for the rail industry, in particular urging companies not to threaten criminal proceedings except in cases of deliberate fare evasion.

"Passengers penalised through no fault of their own must be treated fairly," said rail minister Claire Perry.

If you are caught without a ticket, you'll be issued with a penalty fare of either £20 or twice the ticket price, whichever is the greater. You can appeal within 21 days, whether or not you choose to pay. If the appeal is upheld, you'll still have to pay the original fare.

There's more information on penalty fares from Citizens Advice here.