It is estimated that the UK rail network carries in excess of 750 million passengers each year. If only a small percentage of these rail users travel without paying the appropriate fare the loss of revenue is considerable.
Train Operators therefore work in a number of different ways to tackle ticketless travel and in addition to operating a penalty fares scheme, Train Operators will issue passengers with an Unpaid Fare Notice if they fail to pay the full appropriate fare or fail to produce a valid rail ticket when requested to do so by a representative of the company. An Unpaid Fare Notice is not the same as a Penalty Fare Notice. Where the incident is considered to fall outside of the scope of the Railways (Penalty Fare) Regulations 1994 unpaid fare notices are issued in accordance with the Train Operators Policy & Procedures and/or the National Rail Conditions of Carriage.
An Unpaid Fare Notice must be paid or appealed against within the stated time in order to avoid further costs or action being taken by the Train Operator to recover the debt.
You can download a copy of the current National Rail Conditions of Carriage by returning to our home page and visiting our document library.