Rail 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.

The Office of Rail and Road is asking passengers to complete a short questionnaire as part of its investigation into how operators deal with suspected cases of fare evasion.

Several incidents have been reported which appear to have been met with an excessive response. One young female passenger was penalised because she had accidentally chosen the wrong rail card to gain a discount when buying her ticket from a machine, even though she did have another rail card which would have provided the same reduction.

The ORR said its investigation is due to end in the spring, when it is expecting to make any necessary recommendations to improve the situation.

The questionnaire asks respondents to name the operator, give the reasons for the penalty, what happened next, and whether the case led to action in court. The questionnaire will be available until 17 January.

The ORR’s director of strategy, policy and reform Stephanie Tobyn said: ‘If you’ve been penalised for travelling without the right ticket, or with no ticket, then we want to hear from you. This will be an invaluable source of information about why this happens and the impact on those passengers.

‘It’s really important that train companies stop and deter deliberate fare evasion, but all passengers must be treated fairly and proportionately. Our report will look to make recommendations on any areas for change and improvement.’