{"id":507162,"date":"2026-08-13T19:34:52","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T09:34:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/railuk.com\/?p=197978"},"modified":"2026-08-13T19:34:52","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T09:34:52","slug":"tpe-reveals-excuses-heard-from-passengers-travelling-without-a-valid-ticket","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=507162","title":{"rendered":"TPE reveals excuses heard from passengers travelling without a valid ticket"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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: \u201cIt wasn\u2019t me, it was my twin brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

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 \u2013 much to the shock of onboard staff.<\/p>\n

Other explanations include \u201cI\u2019ve got no battery on my phone\u201d, \u201cI was running late and didn\u2019t have time to buy a ticket\u201d, \u201cI haven\u2019t got any money\u201d, and even \u201cDo I need to buy a ticket?\u201d<\/p>\n

While the excuses can raise a smile, TPE is reminding customers that they should buy a ticket before boarding where facilities are available.<\/p>\n

More than 20 million ticket checks were carried out on TPE services and at automatic ticket gates between April 2025 and April 2026.<\/p>\n

Of those checked, around 75,000 customers were found travelling without a valid ticket, with approximately 6,000 penalty fares issued.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Ian Humphreys, head of retail strategy at TPE, said: \u201cWe appreciate that the vast majority of our customers do the right thing and buy the correct ticket for their journey.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut for those who don\u2019t, our message is simple \u2013 buy before you board.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur 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\u2019s important that everyone has a valid ticket for their journey.\u201d<\/p>\n

Image credit: TPE<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>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 [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[921,16017,47,16016,913,85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-507162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-crime","category-industry-news","category-rail-news","category-train-operating-companies","category-travel","category-uk"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t