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Revenue Protection Policy
October 2014
This policy explains how we make
sure everyone pays the correct fare
for their journey. Please let us know
if you’d like a printed version.
If you don’t buy your ticket before boarding
the train you can only buy full-price First and
Standard Anytime tickets. Unfortunately we
can’t offer Railcard discount tickets onboard.
Why do we need to protect revenue?
Fare evasion deprives the rail network and you,
its customers, of an estimated £200m a year*,
and makes it hard to provide value for money.
If you need information or advice to help
you choose the correct ticket, including any
restrictions on when the ticket is available,
please ask our staff or check online at
virgintrains.com.
We want to protect the vast majority of
customers who pay the correct fare for their
travel, and to tackle those who do not in a firm
but fair manner.
How to buy your ticket
Online Our website is the best way to check
train times and search for the cheapest tickets.
Please visit virgintrains.com.
We will investigate and pursue anyone who
avoids paying, or tries to, to do so, by all legal
means available.
Book in advance Get your tickets mailed to you,
collect them from a FastTicket machine at the
station or even print your own tickets at home
with e-ticket.
Customer responsibilities
You need to pay for your journey before it
starts, to keep hold of your tickets and Railcards,
and to show them when asked.
Please make sure you travel on the correct train,
day and time as stated on your ticket, and with
the right train company. The railway uses a 24hr
clock so please check times carefully.
Make sure that you have the right ticket for your
journey - lots of fares and tickets are available,
including Anytime, Off-Peak, and Advance,
in Standard and First Class.
FastTicket machines You can buy tickets using
FastTicket machines at our stations and other
principal rail stations to buy tickets on the day
of travel, or collect pre-paid tickets, with a debit
or credit card, or cash.
By phone 0871 977 4222
In person Visit your local staffed rail station
From a travel agent Visit any ATOC Licensed
Travel Agent
If you travel with an Advance ticket on the
correct date, but on the wrong train, you will
have to buy a new ticket at the price it would
have cost you from your starting station. You
may be able to get a discount if the Advance
ticket was purchased with a valid Railcard.
☞
* Figures published by the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC)
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Railcard discounts
Discounts are available on lots of fares with a
valid 16-25 Railcard, Senior, Family & Friends,
HM Forces or Disabled Railcard. If you have used
your Railcard to buy an Off-Peak ticket, you can
use it to travel at peak times on most Virgin
Trains services (restrictions on certain services
may apply though).
If you book with a Railcard please keep it with
you when you travel in case you’re asked to
show it. If you don’t have it then you may need
to purchase a new ticket at the full Anytime
fare.
What happens if you can’t produce
a valid ticket?
We take fare evasion very seriously and will
prosecute offenders who have tried to avoid
paying a fare. If we prosecute, we will seek full
compensation and costs.
If you can’t produce a valid ticket, we may issue
an Unpaid Fare Notice at our discretion
- please see opposite for more information.
If you try to avoid paying we will ask for your
contact details and you may be cautioned and
interviewed in accordance with the Police and
Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE). You will be
advised of any actions that follow this.
If you give us false details we will assume
you are making a deliberate attempt to avoid
paying your fare and you may be prosecuted
under Railway byelaws. Please don’t leave your
destination station without having purchased
a valid ticket for the journey as failure to do so
will be taken as intent to avoid payment.
Ticket checking at stations
We check tickets at stations across our network
and at London Euston we check tickets before
all departures.
Our Revenue Protection Inspectors (RPIs)
occasionally carry out ticket checks at stations
in plain clothes and you may be stopped upon
exiting the station and asked to present a valid
ticket.
Ticket checking onboard
Our Train Managers and RPIs carry out regular
ticket checks to make sure customers are
travelling on the correct train and in the right
part of it.
What is an Unpaid Fare Notice (UFN)?
An Unpaid Fare Notice (UFN) may be issued
if you’re travelling without a valid ticket but
can’t pay at the time due to exceptional
circumstances, such as losing a wallet or purse
or having been a victim of crime.
No penalties or recovery charges are applied as
long as the payment is made within 21 days.
You need to have a valid ticket for the train you
plan to use and the journey you are going to
make before you travel - we can’t accept proof
of purchase, such as a receipt, on its own.
A UFN is a legal document and will be used as
evidence if a case be taken to court due to the
fare not being paid.
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How is a UFN issued?
If you can’t produce a valid ticket, or pay the
fare for your journey, we may give you a UFN.
Train Managers and Revenue Protection staff
are issued with a pad of UFNs, each identified
by a unique number.
You will be asked for your name and address
which will be checked and, if correct, a
UFN will be issued. It is a criminal offence
to fail to provide your address, or to give
false information, and doing so may lead to
prosecution.
One copy of the UFN will be given to you,
we keep a second copy, and a third is sent to
Independent Revenue Collection and Support
(IRCAS)
Independent Revenue Collection and
Support (IRCAS)
IRCAS is an agency that collects unpaid fares on
behalf of train companies. Using its database
to help the recovery of outstanding fares, it can
identify people who have not paid on a number
of occasions. The British Transport Police
may be alerted to customers with a history of
unsettled UFNs for investigation.
How can I pay for my UFN?
You must pay a UFN within 21 days from the
date of issue. Even if you dispute the UFN you
will still need to pay the amount due within
21 days.
The amount due is the applicable Anytime
Single fare (Standard or First Class as
appropriate) for the journey being made on
our network.
Online
Visit ircas.co.uk (All major credit cards and debit
cards, including Electron, are accepted, and the
handling fee is £0.25)
By phone
Call 0844 544 7858.
By cheque or Postal Order Made payable to
Independent Revenue Collection and Support
(IRCAS) with the UFN reference number written
on the reverse. Send your payment to
IRCAS PO Box 212, Petersfield, GU32 9BQ
Please allow enough time, including postage,
for your payment to reach IRCAS within 21
days or you may incur a non-refundable
administration fee. If you haven’t paid within
this time, and appropriate reminder letters have
been sent, the matter may be put forward for
prosecution.
What should I do if I am not happy?
If you wish to dispute an obligation to pay a
UFN, you should outline your reasons in writing
within 21 days of receiving it.
Appeals can be made online at ircas.co.uk
or by post to Independent Appeals Service,
PO Box 212, Petersfield, GU32 9BQ
Your reasons for disputing the UFN will be
considered independently of Virgin Trains.
If you’re not happy with the decision made by
IRCAS and wish to seek arbitration, you can
contact Passenger Focus, the independent rail
ombudsman:
Email advice@passengerfocus.org.uk
Phone 0300 123 2350
Post Passenger Focus,
Freepost RTEH-XAGE-BYKZ, PO Box 5594,
Southend On Sea, SS1 9PZ
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Virgin Trains Prosecutions
Types of Offences
• Fare Evasion in contravention of the
Regulations of Railways Act 1889
• Contraventions of the National Railways
Byelaws 2005
• Unpaid Fares Notices issued by Virgin Trains
employees as part of their duties where the
passenger has failed to pay the fare due in the
specified time scales.
Who will Prosecute
Offences will normally be prosecuted by...
• Virgin Trains Prosecution Agents
• The Crown Prosecution Service
(cases passed on by our agents
or the BritishTransport Police)
Decision to Prosecute
The decision to prosecute is an important and
serious one, but we will only prosecute if...
• The evidence shows that there is a realistic
prospect of conviction
• It would be in the public interest and in the
interest of justice to prosecute.
The Evidential Test
If a conviction is likely the prosecutors
will take into account the following:...
• The relevance and admissibility
of available evidence
• The reliability of evidence relating to the
identity of the alleged offender
• The reliability of any admission and confession
including comments as recorded in the
Inspector’s notebook
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