A £5 ticket to Bolton ended up costing a woman more than £100 after she selected an option for a "26-30 Railcard" on her phone while she was buying it – despite not having a railcard.
While riding the Northern train to Bolton ready for my shift at The Bolton News, I was sat across from a woman on her way to her brother’s university graduation – a day of joy for most families.
However, what should have been a cheap trip from Gorton to Bolton ended up costing the woman much more than she bargained for – with an onboard ticket inspector charging her more than £100 for the journey after it turned out her ticket had a 26-30 Railcard discount, despite her not owning a Railcard.
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The discount meant the woman paid just £2.55 for her Advance Single ticket from Gorton to Bolton, when it would have cost £3.90 without the discount – a saving of £1.35.
For this error, a ticket inspector demanded her name and address before issuing her a new "Anytime" single ticket at a cost of £5.50, and a penalty of £100 – which can be reduced to £50 if paid within 21 days.
The woman was then made to sign a penalty fare notice, printed out by the inspector’s handheld printer, and was told the problem would be explained after she had given her signature.
Northern, which is owned by the Department for Transport’s public sector owning group "DOHL", said Railcards offer "significant discounts" on the standard ticket price.
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The woman, who did not wish to be named, told The Bolton News she did not know what a Railcard was and hadn’t realised the option was selected in her ticket app at any point before she was informed by a ticket inspector that she was liable for a fine.
She said: “It’s a lot of money, it’s something I’m not aware about.
“He should be nice about it. Maybe I’m not aware about the Railcard, I don’t know anything about the Railcard, it might be a mistake, but they don’t care about it, they just do whatever they want to do.
“I bought the ticket, I paid for it – but because of the discount of £2, I’m going to pay £55.”
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The woman told The Bolton News that she doesn’t get the train often – with her husband usually driving her, and that she was going to get the bus for the journey before she realised she was running late.
A spokesperson for Northern said: “Railcards offer significant discounts on the standard ticket price and customers benefitting from that discount must be able to present a valid railcard for inspection when requested by a conductor or revenue officer.
“Anyone unable to present the appropriate railcard may be liable for a penalty fare of £100, which is reduced to £50 if paid within 21 days.
“There is an independent appeals process for anyone who wishes to appeal that decision.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson said it had nothing to add beyond what Northern had said.
If you have a story, I cover the whole borough of Bolton. Please get in touch at jack.fifield@newsquest.co.uk.
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