Passengers across Britain could be handed criminal records for travelling with the wrong ticket — even if it was an honest mistake. That's the alarming finding from a new government-commissioned review by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), which is now calling for an urgent overhaul of how fare enforcement is handled across the country.
The ORR says the current rules are inconsistent, unclear, and, in some cases, unnecessarily punitive. The report reveals that even passengers who appeal a penalty fare and lose could still be criminally prosecuted, with fines climbing as high as £1,000.
