08 June 2024 , 14:04
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A young woman has been left distraught after railway staff charged her with a whopping £100 fine despite having proof of her lost return ticket, bought on Merseyrail.
Rhema Otache, 25, originally from Liverpool City Centre, had purchased a return ticket for a commute from Liverpool Central Station to Waterloo. The diligent employee snapped a picture of the ticket in order to get reimbursed by her employer later. Nevertheless, upon her journey back home from Waterloo, she was faced with a predicament as she couldn't locate her return ticket at the Liverpool central barrier machine.
Speaking to the ECHO, Rhema explained she may have accidentally dropped the ticket, stating: "It must have slipped out of my trouser pocket during the course of the day."
Rhema was fined despite having digital proff of the ticket purchase (Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)Despite assuring the guard met at the barrier and showing them the earlier clicked picture of the tickets, along with related card transactions made at 10.118am corresponding to the image time stamp, she faced resistance.
The guard reportedly dismissed ALL available evidence as "not enough" to verify her claims and slapped a hefty fine of £104.40 on her, pushing her over the edge into a tearful breakdown after an exhausting workday.
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Following this incident, police were involved, however, surprisingly, British Transport Police seemed "more sympathetic" towards Rhema with one officer even admitting-"if it was up to me, I'd let it go". However, when she approached the ticket revenue staff, she was informed that the fine would still apply.
Rhema explained: "They had a discussion among themselves, and decided I had to pay. I told them, 'if it's that big a deal, I'll just buy another ticket', and they said, 'absolutely not'. Rhema claims this standoff with Merseyrail staff continued for over an hour, but they "would not budge".
Merseyrail said Rhema could appeal the decision (PA)She was advised that she could contest the fine, and has already sent an appeal letter to Merseyrail. If she settles the full amount within 21 days, the fine will be reduced to £54.40. For a student like Rhema, even this discounted sum is a significant expense. Rhema said: "I felt devastated by it. I don't have spare money, which is going to be the case for so many people in a cost of living crisis.
"She further added: "The policy is clearly illogical and unfair, and there is a simple solution to help people. "Suzanne Grant, Chief Commercial Officer at Merseyrail responded: "Whilst we can't comment on any individual case, Merseyrail operates a 'buy before you ride' policy.
"This means that customers must have a valid ticket before travelling on our services. To help prevent fraudulent travel, this must be the physical ticket issued, photographs of the ticket cannot be accepted.
"Where a customer believes a penalty has been issued unfairly, an independent penalty fares appeals service is available. The details of how to access this service are provided to all customers at the point at which the penalty is issued."