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Livingstone caught without a train ticket
Kiran Randhawa19 Mar 2009
KEN LIVINGSTONE has been caught travelling on a train without a ticket despite declaring "freeloaders will not be tolerated" when he was mayor.
He fell foul of his own law by failing to pay the £7.50 single fare from Paddington to Slough on a First Great Western service. After admitting his error when he arrived at the barrier, Mr Livingstone, 63, was simply waved through by staff and escaped the £20 fine.
The rail firm has fined tens of thousands of passengers for travelling without paying in recent years. But it defended its decision not to fine Mr Livingstone.
"The station manager has the power to waive a fine if a valid excuse has been proffered," a spokesman said. "Our staff were happy that Mr Livingstone's mistake was genuine. He said he was late and had to run for the train. It was decided not to impose a fine as it was a first occasion and Mr Livingstone was warned not to do this again."
Mr Livingstone has a Freedom Pass which entitles him to free travel in London, but did not cover the journey to Slough. He said today: "I went up to the barrier and told them the ticket inspector had not made it up to my point in the train. They said that's fine and sold me a ticket."
A spokesman for First Great Western said: "Ken Livingstone, like any other passenger, would be given the opportunity to pay as he arrived at Slough station and he may have been able to board the train at a non-gated platform at Paddington station. Not every platform at Paddington station, due to its layout, has a gateline.
"At Slough station Mr Livingstone approached our member of staff, apologised and offered to pay before being asked. Like a number of other customers who were not charged a penalty fare on Monday, our gateline staff were happy that Mr Livingstone's mistake was genuine.
"First Great Western operates to railway industry regulations, however our approach is to give our customers the benefit of the doubt and the opportunity to pay for a ticket before we take their name and address or issue a penalty fare.
"Nonetheless, the only way to be sure you won't be charged a penalty fare is to buy a ticket before you travel. We also have revenue protection teams who target known fare evasion hotspots and carry out adhoc checks to ensure we protect revenue and fare paying passengers don't lose out. "
While in office, Mr Livingstone declared a "zero tolerance" policy against fare dodgers. After a high-profile operation in which ticket evaders were arrested, he said: "This operation shows our commitment to crack down on criminals and fare dodgers on the transport system."
Reader views (9)
I was disgraced at the trains system at the moment. Whilst using the train for the first time in months and i had always been able to pay for my ticket whilst on the train due to my station (bilbrook) doesnt have a office to buy tickets and the permit machine was ALWAYS broken so i have no choice but to buy a ticket on the train.
I used it today and recieved a fine and no sympathy what so ever saying it was my fault that i hadnt got a ticket.
I however refuse to pay it.
- Corey, Wolverhampton, 28/10/2009 18:52
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Sorry Nick Linford but you are wrong. The conditions of travel on all train services require that you purchase a ticket that covers the entire journey. So his freedom pass is not sufficient.
- Adam, Harrow, UK, 28/10/2009 17:52
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I was fined when I got on that train route when the tube strike was on.... I was in a rush and got the bus to paddington instead of tube and then forgeting to then get a train ticket which i would have done before hand. They were really sympathetic and gave me a £20 fine on the train, I wasnt given the chance to pay at Ealing when I got there. Ken youre a disgrace and should have paid the fine you joker....
- Dc, London, 28/10/2009 17:52
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Nick from Watford is absolutely right. Even if I allow myself what I think will be sufficient time, I am sometimes unable to buy a ticket at my local station (Folkestone Central) due to queues at the ticket machine and the ticket office (with now only one person on duty to deal with ticket sales and all travel enquries, and no-one at all during breaks. Rather than miss my train and having to wait for almost an hour, I board my train without a ticket and buy one from the on-board conductor as soon as possible. Travelling from London, Ken has a London and outer zones freedom pass which enabled him to board the train, and as soon as he was able to he purchased a ticket. He was not making any attempt to cheat. If the railway companies have had to reduce station staff for economic reasons, they must be prepared to be more sympathetic towards passengers who have been unable to purchase a ticket - which it seems in Ken's case on this occasion, they were. For once, it seems, common sense prevailed. So what's all the fuss about?
- Pam, East Kent UK, 28/10/2009 17:52
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Truth be known - and trust me, I'm no admirer of Red Ken by any stretch of a madman's fantasies so saying something in support of him kinda hurts - it worked the way it is supposed to with him. Yeah, they were more likely than not supporters as will likely be said of them, but in this case they actually got it right by the sound of it. Those same people though, are in the wrong in the way they enforce the Railway by-laws both inconsistently and seemingly with selective adherence to those self-same rules.
- Rogan, Irving, 28/10/2009 17:52
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Typical Lefty,he wants everything for nothing!!
- Mark A, Warrington England, 28/10/2009 17:52
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I'm appalled. Nothing less than seeing Ken being hung, drawn and quartered (along with his house being bulldozed and his pond filled in) will satisfy my outrage and indignation. The same penalties should apply to the Station Manager, to serve as a lesson to others who might be tempted to exercise their discretion instead of inflexibly adhering to the rules set by their masters.
- Austen, London, 28/10/2009 17:52
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He has not done anything wrong. He had a freedom pass which forms his valid ticket out of London. He was entitled to use that to get on the train. I understand that he had no valid train ticket the last part of his journey and was not able to buy from the conducter on the train. At the journey;s conclusion he sought to buy a train ticket at the first possible opportunity which is the advice given to all passengers in the same position irrespective of whether they are the ex-mayor.
Get off the man's case. There is no evidence of wrong doing or letting his reputation giving him the advantage.
- Nick Linford, watford uk, 28/10/2009 17:52
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According to a First Great Western spokesman; "he was late and had to run for the train."
So, it's official then. If you don't have a valid ticket when travelling on First Great Western train services, being late and running for the train is an acceptable excuse to avoid a penalty fare.
- Escobar A-Lop-Lop, Camden County, 28/10/2009 17:52
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