The passenger watchdog Transport Focus has called for a rethink by operators over how they deal with passengers who have made a mistake when buying a ticket.

The watchdog says it wants operators to ‘play fair’ with passengers who have made a mistake for the first time. They would be identified, informed of the reason for their error and the facts recorded so that they could be checked if problems occurred again. Some operators already do this but TF says it should be the national standard.

TF has also named some of the difficulties which exist, such as the lack of a national database of railcard holders which can be checked by revenue protection staff. The watchdog says operators need to demonstrate that they do care about collecting revenue, and that there will be ticket checks during a journey.

But a major improvement would be a simpler ticketing system which would make it easier for passengers to choose the right fare, with important facts and conditions not buried in small print.

Transport Focus rail director Natasha Grice said: ‘Transport Focus has long been concerned about the complexity of rail fares and ticketing, particularly for passengers who find it hard to buy the right ticket for their journey. We understand and support the principle that all users of rail should be paying for their ticket, but we want to make sure that passengers who make an innocent mistake aren’t punished unfairly 

‘There are some things that the industry could do now to make things better and our research tells us that if the railway is to build trust and confidence, an improved approach to revenue protection is needed. Recouping this money could help boost investment in services, making things better for passengers.’

The Office of Rail and Road launched a review of revenue protection practices in December, including the use of penalty fares and prosecutions. It said passengers who have been charged a penalty fare or prosecuted for not having the correct ticket are being asked to tell the rail regulator what happened.

Transport Focus will be sharing its views as part of the review and is urging passengers to do the same.

The call for evidence will close on 31 January and is open to anyone who has received penalties or faced prosecution.