Buy before you board &
Revenue Protection Policy

If the station where you start your journey has no ticket office, but it has a self-service ticket machine, then you should use that ticket machine to purchase the ticket you need for your journey. You can also buy your ticket online from our website or app and have an electronic ticket delivered to you via email, or inside the app, without having to collect or print out a physical ticket.

If you are paying for your ticket by cash, and the self-service ticket machine only takes card payments, then you can pay by cash at the station ticket office. If the station where you start your journey has no ticket office, or it is closed, then you are allowed to board the train without a ticket. You must pay for your ticket at the earliest opportunity, and you must pay by cash. If you want to pay by card, and there was the opportunity to pay by card before you boarded the train, then you could be issued with a Penalty Fare if you do not buy your ticket before you board the train.

If you have a disability and are unable to access or use the ticket office or self-service ticket machines because of your disability, then you can board the train without a ticket. In these circumstances you will be allowed to purchase your ticket from the Conductor on the train.

No. If you are choosing to buy your ticket on your phone via the internet or an app, then you are responsible for purchasing your ticket before you get on board the train. You are responsible for ensuring your phone is working. If you cannot use your phone before boarding the train for whatever reason, then you should buy your ticket from the ticket office or self-service ticket machine.

No. You must purchase your ticket before you get on the train. If you do not buy your ticket before you board the train you can still be committing a criminal offence, even if you purchase a ticket on your phone after you board the train before the ticket inspector gets to you.

A Penalty Fare is an exceptional fare charged if you do not comply with the normal ticket purchasing rules without good reason. It is not a fine.

The Penalty Fare is £100 plus the price of the full single fare applicable for your intended journey. However, if it is paid within 21 days, the Penalty Fare is reduced to £50 plus the price of the single fare applicable.

You can find further details here.

Penalty Fares do not apply when you board a train in Scotland as they have a different legal system.

If your chosen method of payment was not available to you before boarding the train - for example you are paying for your ticket with cash and there was no ticket office, or it was closed, and the self-service ticket machine only accepts card payments – then you cannot get a Penalty Fare, as you did not have the opportunity to purchase a ticket before boarding. However, you must purchase your ticket at the first opportunity, for example from the Conductor on the train or at a station where you change trains during your journey, to avoid a Penalty Fare later in your journey.

If, however, your chosen method of payment was available – for example you are paying by cash and the ticket office was open, or you are paying by card and the self-service ticket machine was working and you do not buy your ticket before your ticket before boarding the train, then you could be issued with a Penalty Fare.

If the station where you start your journey has no ticket buying facilities at all – for example it has no ticket office and no self-service ticket machine – then you can purchase your ticket on the train and will not be charged a Penalty Fare.

If your ticket is valid for the journey you are making and the train you are travelling on, then no, you cannot get a Penalty Fare.

However, if your ticket is not valid for some reason, then you may get a Penalty Fare.

If you have a ticket which needs to be shown with some other documentation, such as a Railcard, and you cannot show that other documentation; or needs you to validate it before boarding the train, and you have not done so; then the ticket you have is not valid and you may be charged a Penalty Fare.

No. We have several options available to us depending on the circumstances. If, for example, you are unable to show a valid Railcard when you travel, then we may choose to issue you with a Travel Irregularity Report which gives you the opportunity to show your Railcard at a later time. We may also issue a Travel Irregularity Report if we want to look into the matter further, to carry out investigations, or give you the opportunity to offer any explanation or mitigation before we make a decision on how to proceed. You can find full details in our Revenue Protection Policy.

You can pay your Penalty Fare HERE.

Payment is made via the PayPal payments system, however, please note that you do not need a PayPal account to make payment online.

Please check your reference number and make sure it begins with TPEPFN. This information only applies if the reference number begins TPEPFN.

Although we issue and manage Penalty Fares, the appeals service for these notices is external and independent from TransPennine Express and is managed by Penalty Services Limited (PSL). This ensures that all appeals are dealt with by an independent third party ensuring they are handled impartially and fairly.

If you want to appeal against your Penalty Fare, you need to send a written appeal to PSL within 21 days of the date you got your notice. You can submit your appeal in two ways:

Online at: www.penaltyservices.co.uk

By Post: Penalty Services Limited, 12 Deben Mill Business Centre, Old Maltings Approach, Woodbridge, IP12 1BL

All appeals must be in writing.

Please Note: Penalty Services can only handle appeals for Penalty Fares. Please check your reference number carefully. If you have a Penalty Fare the reference number will begin TPEPFN. If it starts with anything other than TPEPFN then you do not have a Penalty Fare and need to contact us using the details elsewhere on this page.

If you do not pay the Penalty Fare within 21 days we will send you a reminder. If the Penalty Fare remains unpaid then we may take legal action against you via either the civil or criminal courts. Ultimately, boarding the train without a valid ticket, and / or failing to show a valid ticket on demand, can constitute a criminal offence.

If you have been told that your Penalty Fare has been cancelled, and you have been given a new reference number starting TPEPFP, then this indicates we are now considering taking legal action against you as you have not paid the fare that was due.

If you wish to contact us about this you can do so here.

Depending on the circumstances, or the stage of the legal process, it may no longer be possible to pay the amount that is owed, however please contact us and we can advise you of the options and what is happening with your case.

You can pay your Unpaid Fare Notice here.

Payment is made via the PayPal payments system, however please note that you do not need a PayPal account to make payment online.

Please check your reference number and make sure it begins with TPEUFN. This information only applies if the reference number begins TPEUFN.

If you want to appeal against your Unpaid Fare Notice, you need to send a written appeal to us within 21 days of the date you got your notice. You can submit your appeal in two ways:

Appeal Online Here

If you cannot use the online appeal form above, then you can write to us at:
TPE Revenue Enforcement, PO Box 908, York, YO1 0DX.

All appeals must be in writing.

When you enter your details on our contact form, you will need the reference number from your notice in full.

To ensure we respond to your contact as quickly as possible, please ensure you include all relevant information, including the details of your journey and the train tickets or railcards you may have been using.

We are only able to communicate and discuss matters with the person to whom the notice was issued, unless that person is a Child or has given their written consent for another named person to act on their behalf.

We operate in accordance with the National Rail Conditions of Travel - these are the conditions on which all tickets and railcards are issued. All appeals and contacts will be considered in line with these terms and conditions.

If you do not pay the Unpaid Fare within 21 days we will send you a reminder. Please note that if we have to send you a reminder we will also ask you to pay a contribution towards our costs in collecting the fare that is due. If the Unpaid Fare remains unpaid then we may take legal action against you via either the civil or criminal courts. Ultimately, boarding the train without a valid ticket, and / or failing to show a valid ticket on demand, can constitute a criminal offence.

In the first instance there is nothing to pay. We will normally write to you asking for further information or an explanation before we determine what fare, if any, needs to be paid.

If we have already written to you asking you to make a payment you can make that payment HERE.

Payment is made via the PayPal payments system, however, please note that you do not need a PayPal account to make payment online

If you currently have, or previously have had, a valid Railcard please send details of this to us as below, so we can decide best on how to proceed. You do not need to wait for a letter from us before sending us your Railcard.

If you have a physical Railcard (plastic or paper), please send a clear picture of both the front and back of the Railcard, and, in the case of a paper Railcard, your pictures should also include the Photocard.

If it is a digital railcard stored on your device, please press the 'View Railcard' button inside the relevant app. Then, when the Railcard opens, click on the square Bar Code in the bottom left-hand corner. The Bar Code will then enlarge to full screen. Take a screenshot of this full screen Bar Code. If your app does not allow screenshots, please use another device to take a good quality picture of this full screen Bar Code. If your app allows it, please also take a screenshot of the full Railcard itself. If you cannot screenshot the Railcard itself, please also take a good quality picture of the Railcard and send this to us too. Please also include the Railcard number in full in your reply to us. Then send both pictures to us. If you are unable to find your railcard in your app, or you need a download code, you will need to contact the retailer where you purchased your railcard.

Please send the pictures to us online via our contact form. Without the pictures requested above we are unable to verify whether you had a valid Railcard when you travelled by train.

Please check your reference number and make sure it begins with TPETIR. This information only applies if the reference number begins TPETIR.

If you want to contact us about your Travel Irregularity Report, you can contact us online here.

If you cannot use the online form above, then you can write to us at: TPE Revenue Enforcement, PO Box 908, York, YO1 0DX

All contacts must be in writing.

When you enter your details on our contact form, you will need the reference number from your notice in full.

To ensure we respond to your contact as quickly as possible, please ensure you include all relevant information, including the details of your journey and the train tickets or railcards you may have been using.

We are only able to communicate and discuss matters with the person to whom the notice was issued, unless that person is a Child or has given their written consent for another named person to act on their behalf.

We operate in accordance with the National Rail Conditions of Travel - these are the conditions on which all tickets and railcards are issued. All appeals and contacts will be considered in line with these terms and conditions.

If you do not pay the amount requested we will send you a reminder. If the fare that is due remains unpaid then we may take legal action against you via either the civil or criminal courts.