From blaming a twin brother to eating the evidence, TransPennine Express (TPE) has revealed some of the more unusual excuses its revenue protection team has heard from passengers travelling without a valid ticket.
Among them was a passenger caught using a child ticket for the second time. After being reminded they had already received a warning, they replied: “It wasn’t me, it was my twin brother.”
Another customer took a different approach, eating their ticket in front of a member of the team so it could not be used as evidence – much to the shock of onboard staff.
Other explanations include “I’ve got no battery on my phone”, “I was running late and didn’t have time to buy a ticket”, “I haven’t got any money”, and even “Do I need to buy a ticket?”
While the excuses can raise a smile, TPE is reminding customers that they should buy a ticket before boarding where facilities are available.
More than 20 million ticket checks were carried out on TPE services and at automatic ticket gates between April 2025 and April 2026.
Of those checked, around 75,000 customers were found travelling without a valid ticket, with approximately 6,000 penalty fares issued.
Despite the memorable excuses, ticketless travel continues to be an issue, with around 2.5% of journeys made without a valid ticket in both 2024 and 2025.
Ian Humphreys, head of retail strategy at TPE, said: “We appreciate that the vast majority of our customers do the right thing and buy the correct ticket for their journey.
“But for those who don’t, our message is simple – buy before you board.
“Our revenue protection teams carry out checks across our trains and stations every day, and while they might hear some memorable excuses along the way, it’s important that everyone has a valid ticket for their journey.”
Image credit: TPE
