Department of Infrastructure

[Sutter]

Recently I was found to be on a train without a validated ticket.
I had a ticket, a 5 x daily that had been used once already, but it was not validated for that trip.
So, I've been fined $150 and had my ticket confiscated.

I wrote a very nice letter asking them to (1) review my case, as my ticket was proof of my intent to validate and that I was a good citizen etc. and (2) give me my valid ticket back.

I've just received a letter back claiming to have "fully reveiwed" and "re-examined all of the available evidence" and that I must now please pay the fine.
In this letter, there is a lack of ticket, mention of ticket forthcoming or reasoning for no ticket. Not a word.

Now, how could this person have fully examined my letter/case and somehow missed that part about me wanting my ticket back completly? I view this as a written admission that they havn't looked at my case at all, just auto replied.

It appears the next step is to take this to court. I want my ticket, and I don't think I should have to pay the fine either, especially as it looks like I've got them lying to me in writing.

Can the flying monkeys of Zgeek law offer any advice?

[BlueBoy]

All I can say is good luck, man.
They wouldn't even offer me staff discount when I had to pay mine a few years back.

[BlueBoy]

Had a bit of a think about it overnight.
Mail the response to the Minister for Transport with a note expressing how unimpressed you are. I guess you could include your "next steps" in the letter too.

Mailing details here: http://www.doi.vic.gov.au/DOI/Internet/Home.nsf/AllDocs/9CB571867AD10A79CA25723B000F8157?OpenDocument

[Ic3]

I had the same thing happen to me. One day I was going to a pub crawl, and was meant to get a lift with my parents to the first pub. Unfortunately, somethin g came up last minute, and I had to end up catching a tram. I only had notes on me, and no coinage, and since this was at 7 at night, there was no where near me that sold tickets, as my tram stop was in the middle of suburbia with no newsagents or the like around.

So i caught the tram without a ticket, and of course an inspector gets on and gives me a fine, even though i told him my story, and showed him my wallet with no coins. Anyway, i write a nice letter to the transport people, explaining my story, explaining that normally i get a ticket etc. A few days later I get a letter in the mail saying the exact same as yours Sutter, what looked like a standard response. It felt to me they hadn't even looked at my letter.

So I paid the fine and had no other options as i didn't have time to appeal etc. It pisses me off though, that they can't even take 5 mins to write a proper reply to give me indication that they may have actually READ my letter as opposed to seeing it.

[Xythan]

I wrote a letter...it worked. Dunno mate. Good luck?

[Boobmeister]

http://au.todaytonight.yahoo.com/contactus :D

[dwarfthrower]

Heh... DOI is still running their website off the software I built 7 years ago.

I still have a Rapid Web Publisher shirt hanging around somewhere.

Edit: Regarding your problem, tell them that you put the ticket in the validator, heard a beep and took your ticket back. And that you have no idea why their validating machine failed to validate the ticket that they supplied you with, but that it's their problem and they can deal with it - preferably by sticking their fine up their collective cloacas.

[stevecai]

i don't know what the law is for fines but assuming its strict liability you will get fined unless you have a reasonable excuse. if its absolute liability you are fined irrespective of your circumstances. i suspect its the latter (but may be wrong).

[Afta Image]

the question I would ask, do you think it is worthy of following the next few steps on this path?

The sad fact is it might be easier and less cost in time to just pay it. But if you feel you have been wronged and want to resolve this, then go for it...

[ShinymetalASS]

Here's your problem mate(making the assumption it is illegal to travel in [insert state] without a validated ticket):

Your ticket wasn't validated.

Any problem with the adminstrative appeals process in question becomes redundant in your circumstances.

Procedural Fairness wont save you if you guilty :)

[Up_All_Night]

are weekly tickets valid for a whole week?


why on earth did they take your ticket? What possibly reason do they have for that? I'd be pissed off about that too.


i understand some people will keep unvalidated tickets with them to get out of fines, but they should apply some judgement.

[hijukal]

Maybe if they'd use the money from fines to improve what is the most shitty public transport service I've ever had the displeasure to use, it might have been worth it.