Today l recieved a $162 fine for ''not producing a valid ticket'' on a Melbourne train. The thing is, l brought a ticket before my train ride, but being from the country did not realise l also had to validate it... l thought paying for my train ride was enough! It was only when l arrived at the station and could not get out the gate l realised what was wrong. The lady who booked me at the station (after l showed her the TICKET l HAD BROUGHT!!) told me l probably would not get a fine once the department reviewed it, but today it turned up... Has anyone had anything like this happen before? Do you think they will waive it for me? I am not a faire evader!

maybe you should. move in with your aunty and uncle in bel-air

american answer: l never heard of such a thing. You are not jumping oveer the turnstile. you have a bought and paid for ticket. Is not that valid enough?? Are the fxxxxxg nutsos running the crazy house??

Yes, the lady probably knew what she was talking about. Go ahead and file an appeal and see what happens.

l would get a solicitor They have had you money fight it all the way
maybe involve TV asking if the want new passengers tobe green saving fuel leaving the car at home theyu need to make travel easy not build brick walls

Getting a ticket in the mail is normal. The next step is for u to write them back & say it was ur first time & u honestly did know how it worked, & ask them to forgive it. On some systems, this will work. once :)

This sort of case is a tough call for transit agencies. Many r going to this system (called ''Proof of Payment'' in the States) because it saves them a fortune on labor (and prevents crime as conductors no longer handle money). They must be harsh, because the system would fail if everyone just could plead ''sorry l did not know how it worked''. But on the other hand, they really want to promote transit & encourage new people to consider transit, so they can not be too harsh, or they will give a very bad experience to new riders which may put them off transit permanently.

And yes l agree the system is annoying & generally awful, as it means u have to let a train in the station go because u need to validate. Hopefully someday, they will use RFID technology to do away with proof-of-payment.

You could try arguing that yes, u had paid for the ticket but for some reason [you were in a hurry to catch the train, the machine did not work, u were not feeling well & forgot, etc.] did not get to validate it, & just hope the authorities will relent.

A similar system in use in Germany - on certain trains u not only have to pay for the ticket, but get it stamped in a machine before u get on the train.

If u don't, it is an on-the-spot fine.

What a daft system! Surely possession of the ticket is proof enough that you've paid the fare?