Passenger Voice October 2015: Case study

30 September 2015

Mr H was catching the train to work from Nottingham station; his partner dropped him off at the short stay car park in time for his departure. He stopped to change his 16 month old son’s nappy before leaving the car. The following week the family was issued with a £70 fine for overstaying the two-minute time limit (they had been parked for six minutes and 45 seconds).

When Mr H complained to East Midlands Trains he was told that the drop-off area was clearly signposted and the fine was correctly issued. Several weeks later East Midlands Trains installed a temporary sign with a larger font reminding drivers of the time limit and that they would be fined if they overstayed by any longer than two minutes.

Transport Focus appealed to the train company, pointing out that installing the temporary sign meant that it recognised there was an issue. East Midlands Trains denied that this was the case stating its signage was sufficient. However, it agreed to waive the fine recognising that Mr H had already paid £35 of the fine upfront and the fact that he was changing his child’s nappy had caused a minor delay.

Mr H has since told Transport Focus that he is happy with the result and hopes that the train company will take steps to stop this taking place in future.

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