Northern Rail publishes Fare Dodger Bingo card ahead of National Bingo Day

Northern Rail has published a bingo card in tribute to the least original excuses given by fare dodgers on its services ahead of National Bingo Day tomorrow (Tuesday, June 27).

The train operator’s conductors and revenue protection teams interact with millions of customers every year – 95 per cent who do the right thing and have a valid ticket for travel.

But the 5 per cent who attempt to travel without a ticket seemingly draw their excuses from a very small pool, including vanishing purses and wallets, mystery benefactors paying for their ticket at a later date and false claims of ticket machines not working – something which staff have been able to fact check since May 2022.

My mobile phone has run out of charge

Claims of tickets being on mobile devices that have ran out of power is another popular excuse.

For those unable to come up with a good one liner in time, pretending to be asleep during ticket inspections is something of a last resort.

We’ve seen every tactic and heard every excuse

Commenting on the challenges facing conductors and revenue protection staff, Jason Wade, head of retail operations for Northern, said: “Our colleagues have seen every tactic and heard every excuse.

“Everyone has a legal duty to buy a ticket before they board one of our trains. Why some people think they’re exempt from that rule is, quite frankly, a total mystery to me.

“There are eight excuses on the bingo card – and I know some of my colleagues wouldn’t have to wait very long to call a full house.

"There are so many ways to buy a ticket these days – there really is no excuse.”

More than 53,000 Penalty Fare Notices issued

Northern Rail (trading as Northern) has invested in the largest network of digital ticket infrastructure of any train operator in the country, making it easier than ever to buy a ticket via their app, website or one of more than 600 ticket vending machines across their network.

In 2022/23, Northern’s Debt Recovery & Prosecutions Unit investigated 108,681 reports of attempted fare evasion, issued 53,344 Penalty Fare Notices, attended 301 court sittings, helped secure 14,072 convictions and recouped £2.9m (£2,851,883) of lost revenue for the taxpayer.

Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.