Northern’s rail fare dodger ‘bingo’ with the eight excuses people use to try to get to out of paying for trains

Northern Trains has released a bingo card in tribute to the least original excuses given by fare dodgers on its services.

Ahead of National Bingo Day tomorrow (June 27), the train operator has listed eight excuses conductors and revenue protection teams consistently hear from customers travelling without a valid ticket.

This bingo card is a light-hearted approach to fare dodging - which is a criminal offence - and is currently a big issue, with data from Northern claiming five percent of travellers do not purchase a ticket.

In January this year, the penalty for boarding a train without a valid ticket went up from £20 or twice the full single fare, to an eye-watering £100 plus the cost of a ticket for the passenger's journey. And ticket-evaders are also at risk of getting a criminal record for this behaviour.

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.”