Revenue protection policy

Our aim is to be clear and transparent with customers in everything we do. This short guide sets out our revenue protection policies so you can be sure we deal with all of our customers fairly and consistently.

Thameslink is committed to:

Every passenger paying for their journey
Making it easy to buy a ticket
Offering all our passengers a safe, reliable and pleasant journey
Reducing and preventing fare evasion on our services

We will be vigorous, effective and consistent in all our dealings with fare evasion and revenue protection activity. We use relevant legislation and powers to ensure that we protect the interest of all our fare paying passengers.

We will make it clear to passengers what their responsibilities are when travelling with us, how to get the correct ticket for their journey and if they do not, we will make it clear what will happen and when.

Thameslink will:

Operate a penalty fares scheme on its trains and at all of its stations
Prosecute criminal fare evasion
Prosecute offences under the Railway Byelaws
Comply with the Data Protection Act
Seek financial compensation for costs and damages incurred

Tickets

All persons travelling with Thameslink need to be in possession of a valid ticket or authority to travel for their journey before they travel.

Full details of a passenger’s responsibility to purchase a ticket are contained within the National Rail Conditions of Travel.

NRCoT can be downloaded at www.nationalrail.co.uk.

All tickets are issued subject to restrictions and conditions. When purchasing a ticket from Thameslink, we will explain the restrictions that ticket is subject to:

Verbally at the time of purchase if bought at a ticket office
In the conditions at the time of purchase if bought online
In the conditions at the time of purchase if bought from a Ticket Vending Machine

Penalty fares

Thameslink operates a penalty fares scheme on all of its services and at all of its stations. Details of the penalty fares scheme can be found here.

Additionally Thameslink will continually work to improve passenger understanding of the penalty fares scheme and its application. This will include a commitment to make sure:

Passengers understand what they need to do about a penalty fare
How they can appeal against a penalty fare
What the timescales are surrounding a penalty fare
Who to contact concerning a penalty fare

Ticket irregularity reports

Some staff who do not issue penalty fares may complete a ticket irregularity report. We will make it clear to persons reported for such offences that the facts will be reported in accordance with our processes.

If a ticket irregularity report is issued, we will advise:

What the passenger needs to do
That they will be contacted regarding the ticket irregularity report

Prosecution

Thameslink will privately prosecute, in a court of law, offences reported by staff. We will make it clear to persons reported for such offences that the facts will be reported.

If a passenger is reported to our prosecutions department, we will advise:

What the passenger needs to do
That they will be contacted regarding the report

For more information on prosecutions please read our FAQs

Staff

Staff will be trained to exercise both the power extended to them and any discretion that is available to them under the licences they hold.

Discretion given to persons authorised to issue penalty fares can be found within the scheme and contains details including:

When a notice can be issued
To whom a notice can be issued
When a notice may not be issued
Treatment of vulnerable groups
Staff training
Staff licensing

Staff will be trained in the application of:

National Rail Conditions of Travel
The Railway Byelaws
Restrictions and Conditions of tickets
Police and Criminal Evidence Act
Any other applicable powers

Some staff are bestowed powers under the Railway Safety Accreditation Scheme (RSAS).

Details of this can be found at www.btp.police.uk.

Use of passenger personal information