§ Mr. GerrardTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, (1) how many people have had penalty fares waived on appeal by London Underground on the ground 475W that they had a valid travelcard but had forgotten to take it with them on their journey; and what proportion of people appealing on those grounds this represents; [19508]
(2) how much income has been received by London Underground from penalty fares on travellers who had valid travelcards but had forgotten to take their travelcard on their journey. [19507]
§ Mr. NorrisLondon Underground does not generally uphold appeals where the reason for issuing a penalty fare is that the customer has left his or her travelcard at home. This is because travelcard holders are required to carry their tickets with them as proof of their entitlement to travel. However, London Underground has made an exception in some 105 cases—just over 1 per cent. of people appealing on these grounds—where there were extenuating circumstances.
London Underground estimates that it has received £37,600 to date in penalty fares from customers claiming that they had forgotten to take their travelcard with them.