by The Business Secretary has intervened over “unfair” £100 penalties being handed out to rail travelers arriving at London Stansted Airport who believed they could pay with contactless cards.
Train passengers arriving at the capital’s third busiest airport are not allowed to use London Oyster cards or contactless bank cards.
However, travelers from London to Stansted are able to use contactless cards at Liverpool Street and Tottenham Hale stations, giving ticket inspectors the chance to penalize them.
London TravelWatch, an independent watchdog, revealed in 2019 that 16,000 people were awarded penalty fees at Stansted. Michael Roberts, chief executive of London TravelWatch, said: “It is clearly wrong that passengers continue to be unfairly penalized for not knowing that contactless payment is not accepted at London Stansted Airport.
‘London in his name’
“With ‘London’ in the name, people reasonably assume that they will be able to use a contactless card, especially when they were allowed to use one at the start of their trip.”
Kemi Badenoch, the Business Secretary, is the MP for the Saffron Walden constituency which covers the Stansted area. Her spokesman said Mrs Badenoch “will be making inquiries directly to Greater Anglia and the Department for Transport regarding contactless card readers at Stansted Airport Station.”
Another MP accused train company Greater Anglia of “trying to get out” of customers.
Rail penalty charges of £100 plus the cost of the ticket are applicable. An “anytime” ticket to Stansted from London Liverpool Street costs £21.40, meaning that each passenger using a blind card to travel to the airport has to pay a total of £121.40.
Penalties are discounted to £50 plus the price of the ticket if paid within 21 days.
Around 9.7 million people used London Stansted Airport train station last year, with the majority of passengers traveling from London.
Conservative London transport spokesman Keith Prince accused Greater Anglia of profiting from the penalty charges.
‘Making millions’
“The train operator is making millions by charging penalty fares to passengers who arrive at Stansted without a valid ticket,” said Mr Prince, a member of the London Assembly.
“Although the train operator says it has warning signs for passengers, this signaling is clearly not working. It’s unfair.”
Liberal Democrat transport spokeswoman Wera Hobhouse said: “What are train companies doing trying to find their own customers?
“Passengers should not be heavily penalized for making an honest mistake. Ministers and the rail company need to sort out this mess and ensure that contactless travel is put on this route,” said the MP.
Greater Anglia declined to say how many passengers it has been penalized at Stansted since the pandemic, or how much money it has made from the penalty fees.
A spokesman for the train company blamed the Government for contactless cards not being valid at Stansted, saying: “We are keen to extend contactless ticketing to Stansted Airport, as that would simplify the situation and that it would be more convenient for customers, but such a step is dependent on obtaining the necessary funding and approvals from the Department of Transport.”
A Department for Transport spokesman said: “It is Greater Anglia’s responsibility to inform its customers how to pay their fares, and we advise passengers to always check before travelling.”
Train journeys to other airports such as London Heathrow and London Gatwick can be paid for with contactless cards.
Defense teams of the Revenue Commissioners
In a statement in October which said it had prosecuted 500 alleged fare evaders traveling on its trains, Greater Anglia said: “Only people who board a train without a ticket and without any intention to buy a ticket. Greater Anglia’s revenue protection teams use their discretion when investigating tickets.”
Posts on social media suggest that Stansted passengers who have made honest mistakes are being punished regardless.
One user on X, the website formerly known as Twitter, posted in May 2023: “I had a humiliating situation in the station when I tapped my credit card at Tottenham Hale [like] So many people did not see the gates with warnings. There is a charge of £71 at Stansted for a short trip. Not transparent!”
Another, posted in 2022, wrote: “Feeling completely ripped off today. Tapped in at Liverpool Street in good faith, checked with the attendant at the gate as I tapped. Then, arriving at Stansted Airport, stuck with a £40 penalty fee because I’m a criminal. What a scam! Take care of people.”
Greater Anglia is the only train company in Britain that makes a financial surplus, requiring no government subsidy.
