A TRAIN passenger said he felt like he was ‘treated like a criminal’ after trying to buy a ticket for a journey he had just taken.
The dad-of-two from Long Hanborough had to jump straight on the train at Hanborough station on Monday morning, having arrived just as it was leaving, but was then threatened with a fine when he tried to pay upon arriving in Oxford.
He said in the five years of using the Great Western Railway service, he has always been able to buy a ticket from the conductor or in Oxford before and had been given no indication the rules have changed recently.
The 34-year-old, who asked not to be named, said: “I got off the train, walked up to the area where the staff with the ticket machines are waiting, wallet in hand and stated to the gentleman there that I needed to buy a ticket.
“At this point instead of being sold a ticket I was basically bullied into giving my details, and berated for not having purchased a ticket already, he told me I should have set out earlier or I should have missed the train and stayed in the cold and rain for a further 20-25 minutes for the next train.”
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The man, who works in Oxford, said he was awaiting to see what action would be taken against him for the incident, and fears a large fine or prosecution.
Great Western Railway says that where stations have working ticket machines, journeys must be paid for in advance.
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