A Small Victory
Posted on Friday 8 May 2009 by Nick Bloom
Some of you may remember an earlier blog concerning an incident for one of our members regarding Network Rail Cards. Martin Hayman was threatened with a penalty fare or fine as he had not purchased his ticket in the same transaction as did the Network Card holders. It was purely due to an un unconnected incident on the train that the inspector abandoned this. The other riders present were surprised at this ruling, and at such a fine point being pursued. This matter was especially worrying, as this could potentially result in criminal conviction, which gives the person a criminal record.
So, having checked the minutiae of the Regulations in case we were indeed at fault, we consulted with Dave Halladay, the CTC cycling guru. With his advice a formal letter of complaint was sent, and now (after some further intervention from Dave), we have an apology:
Alex Veitch has passed me your email and asked me to reply regarding the conditions relating to the use of a Network Railcard. I am sorry it has taken us so long to reply.
In noting and appreciating your comments, I can only assume that the train manager/conductor may not have been familiar with the Network Railcard retailing instructions and the rule that allows additional passengers to be added to the Network Railcard group up to the maximum number of accompanying adults allowed.
As I understand it, Mr Hayman’s ticket should not have been challenged once the train manager/conductor had verified that the Railcard holder was in another carriage due to the problem accommodating your cycles. The relevant instruction to staff is outlined below.
I am pleased to learn that Mr Hayman was not charged a Penalty Fare although this does not distract from the fact that he should not have been put in the embarrassing situation in the first place, and I apologise for this. Your email has been forwarded to Chiltern Railways and I am sure they will be concerned to read your comments.
Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. Your complaint, whilst regrettable, does help us monitor and improve the services train companies provide.
Yours sincerely
Tony Ewers
Customer Relations Manager
0207 841 8062
Discounted price tickets purchased by a Network Railcard holder should be issued for travel for the same origin and destination and should normally be of the same ticket type. However the Railcard group can be extended either on the outward or return journey, up to the maximum group size detailed above. If the group size is increased for a complete return journey then discounted price tickets of the same type can be either purchased in advance of travel or at the ticket office before the journey commences.
If the group size is increased for only the outward or return leg of a journey, then appropriate discounted Single tickets should be issued for the new members of the group. It is in this situation that the ticket type may vary.
The group, whatever the size, must stay together throughout the journey as the Network Railcard validates all tickets.