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Watchdog calls for yellow cards for passengers




The
passenger
watchdog


Transport
Focus
has
called
for
a
rethink
by
operators
over
how
they
deal
with
passengers
who
have
made
a
mistake
when
buying
a
ticket.



The
watchdog
says
it
wants
operators
to
‘play
fair’
with
passengers
who
have
made
a
mistake
for
the
first
time.
They
would
be
identified,
informed
of
the
reason
for
their
error
and
the
facts
recorded
so
that
they
could
be
checked
if
problems
occurred
again.
Some
operators
already
do
this
but
TF
says
it
should
be
the
national
standard.



TF
has
also
named
some
of
the
difficulties
which
exist,
such
as
the
lack
of
a
national
database
of
railcard
holders
which
can
be
checked
by
revenue
protection
staff.
The
watchdog
says
operators
need
to
demonstrate
that
they
do
care
about
collecting
revenue,
and
that
there
will
be
ticket
checks
during
a
journey.



But
a
major
improvement
would
be
a
simpler
ticketing
system
which
would
make
it
easier
for
passengers
to
choose
the
right
fare,
with
important
facts
and
conditions
not
buried
in
small
print.



Transport
Focus
rail
director
Natasha
Grice
said:
‘Transport
Focus
has
long
been
concerned
about
the
complexity
of
rail
fares
and
ticketing,
particularly
for
passengers
who
find
it
hard
to
buy
the
right
ticket
for
their
journey.
We
understand
and
support
the
principle
that
all
users
of
rail
should
be
paying
for
their
ticket,
but
we
want
to
make
sure
that
passengers
who
make
an
innocent
mistake
aren’t
punished
unfairly 



‘There
are
some
things
that
the
industry
could
do
now
to
make
things
better
and
our
research
tells
us
that
if
the
railway
is
to
build
trust
and
confidence,
an
improved
approach
to
revenue
protection
is
needed.
Recouping
this
money
could
help
boost
investment
in
services,
making
things
better
for
passengers.’



The
Office
of
Rail
and
Road
launched
a
review
of
revenue
protection
practices
in
December,
including
the
use
of
penalty
fares
and
prosecutions.
It
said
passengers
who
have
been
charged
a
penalty
fare
or
prosecuted
for
not
having
the
correct
ticket
are
being
asked
to
tell
the
rail
regulator
what
happened.



Transport
Focus
will
be
sharing
its
views
as
part
of
the
review
and
is
urging
passengers
to
do
the
same.



The
call
for
evidence
will
close
on
31
January
and
is
open
to
anyone
who
has
received
penalties
or
faced
prosecution.

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