A Government move to increase fines for rail fare dodgers is too little, too late according to the new boss of the West Midlands passenger transport authority.
PTA Chairman Cllr Gary Clarke said the proposed increase from £10 to £20 would be a move in the right direction, but he feels the penalty should be £25 or even higher to provide a real deterrent to persistent offenders.
The current limit was set around fifteen years ago, so we have been calling for a review for some time. A number of dishonest individuals are cheating the West Midlands transport network out of £½ million every year and that is money that should be invested in providing a better service for the vast number of honest travellers, says Cllr Clarke.
The West Midlands Passenger Transport Authority is the policy-setting body for Centro which promotes public transport and represents passenger interests. Its area covers commuter and local rail services running more than 850 trains a day, as well as the Midland Metro.
The issue of penalty fares is an important one for the West Midlands, adds Cllr Clarke. A huge number of people, including more than one in five Birmingham commuters travel by train and we want to see them get a fare deal.
Related item: Department for Transport news release
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