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Translink to increase fines for fare dodgers to £50

Translink will increase its penalty fares for travelling without a ticket by 150%. Picture by Paul Faith/Press Association
Translink will increase its penalty fares for travelling without a ticket by 150%. Picture by Paul Faith/Press Association Translink will increase its penalty fares for travelling without a ticket by 150%. Picture by Paul Faith/Press Association

TRANSLINK is to more than double its penalty fares for travelling without a ticket to £50.

As parts of its attempts to tackle fare evasion on the rail network, the public transport operator has said the new penalties will come into effect from Monday June 13.

Translink said that since 2013 it had collected more than £8,500 in penalty fares.

At present, anyone caught without a valid ticket is charged £20, plus the value of the full single fare for the journey they are travelling.

Failure to pay the fine within three weeks can lead to a court appearance, conviction and penalty of up to £1,000.

Hilton Parr, head of rail services at Translink, said: "Our penalty fares system is designed to protect the majority of customers from the minority of people who travel without a valid ticket for the journey they are making."