Fares loophole closing

20 November 2009

A LOOPHOLE which has left unsuspecting travellers open to fines is set to be closed.

Commuters arriving at Romford station have been slapped with a £20 penalty after mistakenly thinking their Oyster cards would be valid.

An anomaly means that journeys between underground and overground stations are only covered by the season ticket system, not the top-up card.

But a dispute between Transport for London, which runs the tube, and national rail stations over the cost of journeys between their respective zones could soon be over, enabling Oyster users to travel across the capital.

The London Mayor's transport policy chief Kulveer Ranger said: "The ambition has been to make sure that Oysters can be used at National Rail stations by early next year, so we're almost there with that announcement."

But it will come too late for Derek Spicer, who fell foul of the rule last week.

The 68-year-old fundraiser for the Bethnal Green tube disaster memorial charity Stairway to Heaven, said: "I was told by a ticket officer in Walthamstow that my card would be valid, but when I arrived at Romford they said I had to pay a fine for not having a ticket.

"It was a genuine mistake and I had more than enough credit on my card, but they just wouldn't budge."

Now Mr Spicer, of Pilgrims Hatch, Brentwood, intends to appeal.

Many people had been fooled by the installation of Oyster-compatible barriers at the National Express-run Romford station.

Among them is Michelle Bradley, of Moray Close, Romford, who was fined last month. She wrote to the Recorder: "The injustice of how I was treated is unbelievable. I have never been so badly treated in my life."

Elm Park councillor and London Assembly member Roger Evans added: "At some stations you can step across a platform from a tube train to an overground train without swiping the card. So when people arrived at Romford, for example, the train company would not know where the journey had started. It caused a lot of confusion ."

A National Express spokesman said that passengers unsure of a ticket's validity should check with an inspector before travelling.

To contact the Independent Penalty Fares Appeal Service write to: IPFAS, PO Box 14697, London, SE1 8ZJ.