Permit to travel


In the ticketing system of the British rail network, a Permit to Travel provisionally allows passengers to travel on a train when they have not purchased a ticket in advance and the ticket office of the station they are travelling from is closed, without incurring a penalty fare.
Because some rail passengers may travel without having their tickets checked at any point of their journey, particularly at off-peak times when stations are less likely to be staffed, the obligation to possess a Permit to Travel allows the collection of at least some revenue from passengers who would otherwise travel for free. Most train operating companies have altered their penalty fare policies and have removed many Permit to Travel machines. At larger stations, these stations have also in recent years given way to more sophisticated self-service ticket machines.

History

The system, known officially as PERTIS, was first introduced by Network SouthEast in November 1988 on the London, Tilbury and Southend line between London Fenchurch Street and Shoeburyness. The machines, which closely resemble those found in pay and display car parks, were manufactured by Almex Control Systems. Machines were given the designation AS-9 or AS-88, but internal workings and tickets were identical in each case.
Penalty fare schemes spread across Network SouthEast in subsequent years, with AS-88 machines being used exclusively. Railway stations in the West Midlands and West Yorkshire passenger transport executive areas subsequently had schemes put in place, and machines were installed accordingly.

Use and operation

The front panel of the machine has two LCD displays; one shows the current time, while the other displays the amount paid when coins have been fed in. A button is pressed to print the permit, which shows a serial number, the station name, the date and time. The passenger is supposed to insert coins as near to the value of the fare as possible, and some machines have a list of common local single and return fares.
Permits bear the warning that they are not fare tickets and must be exchanged for one at the first opportunity. The record of the station of issue means that passengers who travel using it cannot claim that they just boarded the train if they are not reached by a ticket inspector until a few stops after boarding. Permits are in any case valid for only two hours from the time shown on them.
If holders of a Permit to Travel are asked to present their ticket by an inspector, they will be asked where they are travelling to and issued with the appropriate ticket and will be charged the difference between the balance already paid, as stated on the permit and the full cost of the ticket for their journey. If they have already paid the full price of the ticket, it will be exchanged for the permit and no money will change hands.
Because any amount of money on a valid Permit to Travel will ensure that a passenger cannot be charged a penalty fare, it is entirely possible to make a two-hour train journey for as little as five pence without breaching any fare regulations.
When a station is staffed and its ticket office open, the machine will usually be deactivated, with a light illuminated to indicate that proper tickets should be purchased.

Locations

  • Albrighton railway station
  • Angel Road railway station
  • Arundel railway station
  • Beaulieu Road railway station
  • Box Hill & Westhumble railway station
  • Canley railway station
  • Cressing railway station
  • Eynsford railway station
  • Ford railway station
  • Hartford railway station
  • Hassocks railway station
  • Hatton railway station
  • Haydons Road railway station
  • Lapworth railway station
  • Lichfield Trent Valley railway station
  • Little Kimble railway station
  • Longcross railway station
  • Morden South railway station
  • North Dulwich Station
  • Oakengates railway station
  • Ockendon railway station
  • Penge West railway station
  • Saunderton railway station
  • Shifnal railway station
  • Small Heath railway station
  • Southend Central railway station,
  • Spondon railway station
  • Stoke Mandeville railway station
  • Sutton Common railway station
  • Teynham railway station
  • Warnham railway station
  • White Notley railway station
  • Widney Manor railway station
  • Wrabness railway station

    Other countries

A similar ticket is known in Germany as Fahrkarte Anfangsstrecke. It can be acquired at older Deutsche Bahn ticket machines and is priced at €15.00.