“I saved £1.85 on a train ticket – now I could have a criminal record” | British News

Sam Williamson was very happy to have saved £1.85 on his train journey.

The 22-year-old consultant from Charlesworth, Derbyshire, traveled to London last month to sit his theory test. He had found it difficult to book a test nearby.

As he has often done before, Sam booked an Anytime Day Single ticket from Broadbottom to Manchester via the Northern app, intending to transfer to a second train to the capital on September 5th.

Sam scrolled down until he saw the yellow sticker with the word “Commuter” and the green label “Cheapest.” Using his 16-25 Railcard he bought a ticket for £3.65 instead of £5.50.

Now he may face court and face a fine and a criminal record after Northern sent him a letter last week for paying £1.85 less than he should have.

“It’s crazy and definitely disturbing,” says Sam, an Oxford University graduate whose post on X about the experience went viral metro.

“That the company might seek to prosecute me strikes me as a completely disproportionate response from Northern to an innocent mistake that could have been cleared up in minutes if they had allowed it.”

Sam, from Glossop, a town 15 miles east of Manchester, is one of several people who bought a ticket said to be valid “at any time of day” and have been taken to court by rail companies.

This is due to a clause in the 16-25 Railcard’s terms and conditions which reduces rail costs by a third.

Since the ticket was “anytime,” Sam assumed he could use it at any time. But the platoon leader who looked down on him just before 7:30 a.m. said something different.

According to the terms and conditions, the 16-25 Railcard has a “minimum price valid Monday to Friday from 4.30am to 10am”. This fine print reading policy does not apply to trips in July or August, the last time Sam made several similar trips on his rail card.

“I was completely unaware of the Railcard T&Cs, which state that the discount does not apply to journeys under £12 before 10am Monday to Friday from September to June,” says Sam.

“I naively assumed that it was an app error and not a consequence of this niche rule, which only a few train users were aware of, if you couldn’t get the discount before 10 a.m..”

Sam says that, similar to more than nine out of 10 Brits who don’t, he hadn’t read the Railcard’s terms and conditions in full when he agreed to them four years ago.

“I wasn’t commuting back and forth often at the time, so I doubt I would have noticed such a specific detail even if I had read the T&Cs thoroughly at the time,” says Sam.

That’s why he was “surprised” when the conductor told him his ticket was invalid.

“At the time of the incident, I did my best to correct my mistake – offering to buy a new ticket, pay the difference or a penalty, whatever was necessary,” he explains.

“Given the months of silence, I assumed that Northern had looked at the details of my case, particularly the small difference in fare, and dropped the matter.

“However, when that letter arrived, I realized I would have to deal with an even more anxious wait and potentially significant legal consequences.”

When purchasing a rail ticket via the Northern Mobile app, the Railcard discount will not be applied to trains before 10am. However, it will be possible for journeys after this time, with users also being offered the option to purchase the “Anytime” ticket.

Sam had done just that, listing the first one as the “cheapest” train ride just before 10:30 a.m. before purchasing the “anytime” ride.

Northern describes an “Anytime Day” ticket as having “no restrictions on the time of day you can travel.” The restriction for Bahncard holders is not mentioned on the website, nor in the app when purchasing one.

In the UK, railway companies can issue a court summons if someone is caught traveling without a valid ticket and fails to pay the penalty fare or resolve the issue. Northern says it viewed this as a “last resort.”

“Anytime” ticket holders who appear in court for using the ticket before 10am, a practice first reported by The Bolton News, have been hit with fines of more than £450.

Northern’s Oct. 2 letter to Sam, from the firm’s debt collection and law enforcement unit, viewed by metrooffered Sam the opportunity to “explain” what had happened before taking further action.

“If this reasonable request is not responded to within 14 days, legal action will be taken,” the letter continued.

Sam says he emailed Northern’s tax protection team and explained what happened.

“I still remain optimistic that Northern will see sense and decide not to proceed, not least after seeing the massive response my posts have generated,” says Sam, “but for now I’m still in Uncertainty.”

This was announced by the Ministry of Transport metro: “Ticket sales have become far too complicated, which is why we are committed to making it easier for customers as part of the biggest overhaul of our railways in a generation.”

“We expect Northern to ensure its ticketing policies are clear and fair to passengers at all times and have instructed the operator to urgently review the details of these cases.”

A Northern spokesman said metro: “As with all rail operators across the UK, everyone is required to purchase a valid ticket or promise-to-pay voucher before boarding the train and to be able to present this to the conductor or tax collector when a ticket is checked.”

“The overwhelming majority of our customers – over 96% – do just that.”

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