Man saved after he's left facing criminal prosecution for £1.90 rail ticket mistake

A train passenger who was threatened with prosecution after underpaying £1.90 for his fare in an 'innocent mistake' has said Northern Rail will be taking 'no further action' against him.

Sam Williamson's posts on X went viral after he shared his story of how a Railcard condition buried deep in Railcard's small print - which is not mentioned at all on Northern's app - had left him looking at a potential criminal conviction. He said the ticket he bought - from Broadbottom to central Manchester - only saved him £1.90.

Following an online furore, on Friday evening (October 11), Sam received an email from the rail operator's debt recovery and prosecution unit telling him they would no longer be taking action against him. He said he was 'relieved' by the decision - but that the problems at the heart of his case are 'far from over'

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"It's obviously nice to have some kind of resolution from Northern after a pretty mad week," Sam told the Manchester Evening News on Saturday.

"I'm very relieved that Northern have seen sense in my case, but I was very lucky to get the platform I've had and so much support from the public."

Sam was threatened with prosecution after using a 16-25 Railcard discount on an 'Anytime' ticket. Because he was travelling on a fare under £12 before 10am on a weekday in September his Railcard wasn't technically valid - but this was not stated anywhere on the Northern Rail app, where Sam purchased his ticket.

He added that while his own case has been resolved, plenty of others are still facing criminal convictions for similar errors.

"There are so many of these cases that have gone completely under the radar," he said. "I really hope we see the Department for Transport and the Government more widely stepping in to at the very least ensure that people who made similar mistakes to me are not prosecuted."

The terms state the Railcard discount of 1/3 is only ineligible at this time on journeys under £12 - meaning the maximum discount any person can gain from making a similar mistake is £4.

"Taking that to prosecution is completely unreasonable in my books, particularly because the train operating companies have a bunch of other tools at their disposal," he said, adding that he would like to see the terms and conditions 'simplified' or 'at the bare minimum making them better advertised'.

"Because I think until until those two things happen, then people are going to keep making the same mistake, keep getting caught out and potentially end up on the hook for massive fines."

It comes after a number of recent cases of Northern passengers being prosecuted for invalid use of a railcard have been highlighted on X by The Bolton News senior reporter Jack Fifield.

Speaking to The Bolton News on Friday, a Northern spokesperson said: “Our teams have a very difficult role in dealing with repeated and deliberate fare evaders and identifying customers who have made a genuine mistake.

“We understand that ticketing is complex and we are reviewing our processes to ensure compliance with ticket and railcard terms and conditions. We welcome the opportunity and are actively engaged with government and industry to simplify fares.

“We are committed to treating customers fairly and proportionately whilst balancing the need to protect taxpayers’ money.”

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "We expect Northern and all operators to ensure their policy on ticketing is clear and fair for passengers at all times. Northern are reviewing the details of these cases and will report back to the Department.

“It is clear that ticketing is far too complicated, with a labyrinth of different fares and prices which can be confusing for passengers.

“That’s why we have committed to the biggest overhaul of our railways in a generation, including simplifying fares to make travelling by train easier.”