Pounds 40 Tube and bus fines would 'exploit confusion'

TUBE and bus commuters have hit out at a proposal to increase penalty fines to Pounds 40 or Pounds 50.

The 100 per cent rise would unfairly penalise passengers who made honest mistakes when planning their journeys, they say.

Commuters have already criticised the Oyster card, claiming it is difficult to understand the difference between prepay and season tickets, and which zones and rail lines the card can be used on.

The new penalty fares will exploit the confusion, they say.

Kelly Garner, 23, who works for a government consultative group, and is from New Cross, had to pay a Pounds 20 penalty after she was unable to update her Oyster card. "This will penalise those who make honest mistakes," she said.

Neil Cafferky, 25, an underwriter from Tooting, said: "It is very easy to make a mistake when choosing your fare for your journey. This is just a form of double taxation."

Tourist Kerstine Emmet, 21, from Germany, said: "It is unfair. It is very difficult to buy the proper tickets here."

But Tom Phillips, 25, a parliamentary researcher from Stoke Newington, said: "Providing the money goes back into improving public transport I would be fine with it."

Mayor Ken Livingstone is determined to raise the current Pounds 20 penalty until it is a real deterrent to fare evaders, he told a meeting of passenger watchdog TravelWatch.

'It's a good thing. I pay all my fares and it annoys me others do not' Tracey Wickes, 41, from Poplar

'It would be unfair to pay that much money for a mistake' Constanze Hortain, 23, German student

'There should be a clearer message sent out about how to pay' Darren Sayel, 33, from Surrey Quays

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