Northern appeals to would-be student fare evaders to get season ticket before penalty fare rises to £100

The special ticket, which Northern has developed in partnership with more than 124 secondary schools and university technical colleges (UTCs), offers students up to 75%-off the normal adult fare.

On some routes, the savings are worth as much as £575 per year.

From Monday January 23, anyone caught travelling on the rail network in England without a valid ticket for travel or ‘promise to pay’ card will be issued with the government’s new £100 penalty fare.

Student fare evasion is something Northern – which operates the Whitby to Middlesbrough rail line, has been working hard to combat in partnership with secondary schools and UTCs across its network.

Many fare evasion incidents take place when students are travelling relatively short distances between rural and suburban stations which are not barrier-controlled.

Given the high number of students on-board and the limited journey time, conductors cannot always carry out a full ticket inspection, which emboldens students to ‘risk it’.

But with the new penalty fare coming into place on Monday, Northern is appealing to students – and their parents – to take advantage of the Under 16 Education Season Ticket and the savings it offers.

Mark Powles, commercial and customer director at Northern, said: “Under 16 Education Season Tickets offer savings that can be worth hundreds of pounds per year.

“Having one also means a student always has the means to get to and from school – and won’t succumb to peer pressure, travel without a ticket and risk being issued with a £100 penalty fare.

“It’s no way to spend your pocket money – don’t risk it!”

Parents whose children attend a school or UTC not currently participating in the scheme are encouraged to email [email protected] so that Northern can make contact with them.

Northern’s new timetable came into effect in December 2022 and all customers are advised to use the new 'Check My Timetable' feature on Northern’s website to see changes specific to their local station.