Take a look at the figures…
Rail ticket machines are confusing passengers to the point where one-fifth buy the wrong ticket for their journey, this is according to the rail regulator.
Some seven per cent of people underpay and could face fines whereas 13 per cent are paying too much.
The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) would like to see train companies refund passengers who have accidently bought tickets which are too expensive for the journey they are taking.
Train operators have said plans to simplify fares will give clearer information on ticket machines which will help avoid the confusion.
The ORR employed mystery shoppers to buy tickets at the machines to see what the outcome would be.
A huge 65 per cent could not see any information on the machine about the types of tickets they could and couldn’t buy.
A sum of 57 per cent said the machines did not explain when peak and off-peak tickets were valid, 32 per cent said there was no information on the machines explaining anything about ticket restrictions.
John Larkinson, ORR director of railway markets and economics, said: “Despite investment in new technology and the removal of jargon from ticket machines, our new research shows passengers may be paying more for their journey than necessary,”
“We are calling on train companies to commit to refund anyone who finds that they could have bought a cheaper ticket for the same journey,”
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