2 weeks Ago
The Trainline has announced major changes to its terms of service following the recent railcard scandal. Earlier this month The Bolton News exclusively reported that passengers who purchased a train ticket advertised as being valid at "any time of day" have been taken to court and fined for using their ticket before 10am. (Image: The Trainline) One passenger, Cerys Piper, who is from Westhoughton , had received a criminal record and more than £450 in fines after she used an “anytime” ticket before 10am to travel to her job as a sales agent in Wigan.
She used an "anytime day return" ticket she says she purchased from the station's ticket office, and got a £1.60 discount on the £4.80 ticket, using her 16-25 railcard.
READ MORE: Northern railway to "withdraw" fines and prosecutions Severe delays between Warrington and Manchester as person hit by train Bolton train passenger given criminal record over £1.60 mix-up But when she got on the train, she was told her ticket was invalid , as the discount cannot be used with "anytime" or "off-peak" tickets under the value of £12 before 10am. Earlier this month, Northern railway announced it will be withdrawing all live prosecutions against passengers reported for using wrong railway discounts and was reviewing the details of those who were prosecuted previously.
Of the Trainline's update, Cerys said: "I hope that Northern Rail take this as an opportunity to do better as a company. "Following their rules as they would like them to be followed and not trapping honest customers who are just trying to get from A to B. "I think an apology would be appreciated, not just doing what's convenient for them, as always.
"It would be great to see some accountability too." (Image: The Trainline) The Trainline, a digital platform allowing passengers to book train tickets online, has changed how they present information regarding railcards to improve clarity for customers. A Trainline spokesperson said: "While we have always applied railcards correctly and presented the right fees to our customers, recent events highlighted a sense of confusion for passengers around rail industry terms and conditions.
“And so, we have changed how we present this information in the booking flow, as well as adding information to our website, to give customers clarity when buying their tickets.".
