Northern Rail has recently launched the Get a Ticket Campaign to crack down on fare dodgers.
AdvertisementTwo online videos have been released in an attempt to reduce the number of people receiving fines for not buying a ticket. Northern Rail will also plaster stations with posters and other warnings.
Around 20,000 people were caught evading paying fares last year on the Northern network.
Reports show more than 600 fare-dodgers were trapped in parts of Lancashire during the past year with Preston and Central Lancashire, the biggest offenders with 339 fare-evaders caught.
Apparently, the worst route for offenders is the Preston to Manchester train.
Darwen had 240 cheats caught with another 233 from Blackburn and 71 caught from Accrington.
Managing Director of Northern Rail Alex Hynes said: “We know from talking to our customers they have a real problem when they see others not paying for their journey.
“We don’t want to see passengers get into trouble and want to make sure they understand the implications of taking a free ride. The videos show two situations that we know people wouldn’t do, and show that not paying for a train ticket is the same, so why do it?
Alex continues: “We know that some of our smaller stations have limited opportunities to buy tickets, and we are investing in new ticket buying facilities and currently carrying out independent surveys across the network to gain information on how our customers want to purchase tickets. This will allow us to continue to give our customers easy and varied opportunities to pay for their journey. However, the highest number of journeys made without paying for them started at stations with open ticket offices and Ticket Vending Machines.”
Northern remind us that it’s the passenger’s responsibility to buy a ticket. They must seek out the conductor to purchase one or buy a ticket at their destination station. You wouldn’t walk out of a shop without paying for something because there was no one at the till. If you use the service, pay for it, like you do when you eat in a restaurant.
Watch the Northern Rail Get a Ticket video Food Thief and
Hitch Hiker here.
Fare dodging reportedly costs the rail industry £240 million per year.