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| Rail penalty fares: Passengers could get new appeals body | Rail penalty fares: Passengers could get new appeals body |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Rail passengers who challenge the issuing of a penalty fare could soon be able to turn to a new, independent appeals panel in England and Wales. | Rail passengers who challenge the issuing of a penalty fare could soon be able to turn to a new, independent appeals panel in England and Wales. |
| Under the Department for Transport plans, fined passengers will be able to go to the panel if they think an initial appeal was unfairly rejected. | |
| Campaign group Transport Focus said fined passengers were "assumed to be guilty" if they were caught with the wrong ticket for their journey. | Campaign group Transport Focus said fined passengers were "assumed to be guilty" if they were caught with the wrong ticket for their journey. |
| Ministers said "mistakes do happen". | Ministers said "mistakes do happen". |
| The proposals, which will also aim to create "clearer rules" about fines and appeals, follow a public consultation and will go before Parliament next year. | The proposals, which will also aim to create "clearer rules" about fines and appeals, follow a public consultation and will go before Parliament next year. |
| 'Caught out' | 'Caught out' |
| Currently passengers in England and Wales have 21 days to appeal against a penalty fare using the Independent Penalty Fares Appeals Service, which is owned by the Go-Ahead group that runs Southeastern. | Currently passengers in England and Wales have 21 days to appeal against a penalty fare using the Independent Penalty Fares Appeals Service, which is owned by the Go-Ahead group that runs Southeastern. |
| Passengers with certain operators, including Transport for London, Cross Country and Virgin Trains, can alternatively turn to a commercial appeals body, Independent Revenue Collection and Support. | Passengers with certain operators, including Transport for London, Cross Country and Virgin Trains, can alternatively turn to a commercial appeals body, Independent Revenue Collection and Support. |
| The new body would offer a further means of appeal for passengers who have received a fine. | |
| Transport Focus said train operators were the "victim, the investigators, the decision-makers and the prosecutor" under current arrangements. | Transport Focus said train operators were the "victim, the investigators, the decision-makers and the prosecutor" under current arrangements. |
| Chief executive Anthony Smith said train passengers who tried to evade paying fares should be punished, but not those who were simply "caught out by the rules". | Chief executive Anthony Smith said train passengers who tried to evade paying fares should be punished, but not those who were simply "caught out by the rules". |
| "They should be treated with understanding and not immediately assumed to be guilty," he said. | "They should be treated with understanding and not immediately assumed to be guilty," he said. |
| Proposed changes | Proposed changes |
| The Department for Transport says fare-dodging costs £240m a year in lost revenues. | The Department for Transport says fare-dodging costs £240m a year in lost revenues. |
| Rail minister Paul Maynard said this sum was "picked up by honest passengers in the form of higher rail fares". | Rail minister Paul Maynard said this sum was "picked up by honest passengers in the form of higher rail fares". |
| He admitted some passengers felt they had been "unfairly treated" under the existing appeals regime. | He admitted some passengers felt they had been "unfairly treated" under the existing appeals regime. |
| "Passengers need to be confident that there is a robust and independent process in place to deal with their appeal," he said. | "Passengers need to be confident that there is a robust and independent process in place to deal with their appeal," he said. |