Ircas Avis 

My son received a 'reminder' letter for non-payment of a fine for a journey he'd apparently made in Birmingham in November '24. Repeated emails were ignored, the only explanation we could think of being that someone (we had a person in mind) had given my son's name (spelt incorrectly on the letter) maliciously. We had no response to requests for proof ie bodycam footage, until 2 further letters were received, one in my son's name again, and one in name of the suspected fare evader, both sent to our address. We had received no initial letter about the alleged offence until the 'reminder' demand for immediate payment of £104, but since they had not received payment or appealed, the letter said we had missed the appeal window. We have now just received another letter, again addressed to my son, exactly the same wording but stating a different (now December) date for the alleged offence. Very suspicious, and threatens debt recovery proceedings, so not sure how to respond. Don't see how they can enforce without proof of the ID of the person who committed the fare evasion - if, indeed, anyone did - and to not engage other than via automated responses and continued letters is unhelpful, unethical and downright unacceptable. Bullying tactics, by a company hiding behind a facade of respectability and a pseudo-official front designed to scare people into paying up regardless of the circumstances. They need to have ticket inspector wearing bodycams - for everyone's protection. Will not be paying. What a scam.

1.Ircas sent my son with disabilities a letter with another name on his address asking for unpaid fares. Did they check this persons ID? Obviously not! I sent an enquiry they didnt respond . Then they sent another demand letter . Their demand letters come so close together. They dont even allow 21days. Im begining to think as you cannot get hold of them you just have to wait for court letter. We cannot appeal because this person is unknown .My son cannot travel so its heart breaking theyr doing this at christmas . Cannot even ring them They just want money doesnt matter how they get it with made up names.

I can just agree with everyone else before on this feedback thread.
- Impossible to reach out to them, zero reply on email or phone.
- They increased my fine without any notice. I mean, ZERO notice. Incredibly unfair.

- Not IRCAS but the ticket control at Stansted airport station: untrained, unprofessional, slow and rude.

I wish this company could be sued and banned from existence.

These are awfully greedy scrounger, racially motivated people handing out fines to children as young as 14.even when the bus rides are free and they genuinely forgot to take the card with them . The inspector ignored everything even though they have been shown the evidence of buying the child travel card! Legitimated by the tfl! No wonder people avoid public transport when possible. These independent companies are worse offenders, of course,I totally forgot that they get commission for handing out fines!

You have ignored my on line query as I’m not the person names on the penalty charge but it’s come to my address. Now another letter has arrived. ? ? ?

Shameful process and lack of communication following initial fine. No willingness to understand context or that train company may be at fault.

I was travelling to a convention with my little brother and purchased the tickets using 16-25 railcard like I usually do (plus it's hard to notice if it's used cuz it applies automatically when you buy tickets again in the app). I got asked for my railcard which I knew I purchased in the past but since I changed my phone it has not been appearing on my app....there was no way to find it and even the worker wasn't helpful and just wrote out a fine of £130.50!!!!!! This is my first fine ever in my life and they got me to pay that much?? The piece of paper I was given was lost during my travels so I could not appeal it as it turns out when I received the letter today that could have been an option??? Disgusting...is all I can say....I can barely afford to get 2 and from work and now I had to pay half of my travel money for the rest of this month to this ridiculous company..

BTW MY BANK THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS A FRAUD AND TRIED TO STOP THE PAYMENT!!!! I have screenshots of that!!

It’s a scam legitimate by the government. No way to speak to them it looks like they copy and paste the email. There’s no way to challenge the decision unless you provide a journey history. I keep saying if my ticket wasn’t validated how am I supposed to provide an evidence of this journey I made?

Daughter (15 years) got a fine for not having a ticket, which I'm not disputing but of course she never told me about it. I get a REMINDER letter threatening me with further action if I don't pay full amount... this is the first I've known about it as I never got a first letter. Surely if you are issuing a minor with a fine you should notify the parents you have done so? Looking at the cost to call them (13ppm) I might as well pay the full amount as I doubt they will be picking up the phone with any urgency! Reading the reviews on here I would be wasting both my time and money trying to get in touch. Is there a governing body or watch dog for this sort of thing...? Just another faceless company with no intention to improve the service or customer experience - just out to get your money.

On the 5th of February, I received an email informing me that my rail card had expired. I assumed that since it had expired, the West Midlands Railway Company would automatically deactivate my account associated with the rail card. However, today I had a presentation at school and went on the LNER app to book my ticket. I thought that since they had emailed me about my expired rail card, they would have automatically deactivated my account, but that didn't happen. I had actually planned to get a new rail card when I arrived at school today. So on getting to Northampton rail station, I was stopped by the inspection team and was fined 69.80 which I paid online immediately plus 30 pounds and fresh ticket back to Birmingham. So please I’m appealing to the authorities to look into this as I am a student and a refund would really go a long way in paying some my utility bills. Thanks.

Shocking company. Their phone lines are disconnected, and their payment forms online don’t even recognize your reference number. Bunch of chancers that need to rot in hell.

Money money money. No point appealing because this scammers policy is to make money in any ways. Scammers.

Absolute awful company to deal with, wrong details given and letter received to my house with someone else’s details, yes which I opened I reached out to them in good faith only for them to try to preach about me opening a letter being a criminal offence! Behave! Get your facts right before reaching out to people trying to pursue legal action you bunch of vultures! Trying to inconvenience people who this issue has nothing to do with, clearly tooooo much time on their hands! Responses are unprofessional and very curt!

Worst company ever, my son has received two TFL fines for not having a ticket. Issue is one it was not him as it’s confirmed he was in school at the times given some 10
Miles away & two they gave the wrong address and had given my neighbours door number.

On the day we received the fines ( via my neighbour) we appealed this was in May provided all the documentation required and asked them to review any of the Ticket Inspectors Body Worn Camera footage which would prove along with the other bits it was not my son and also gave details of our address and advised to send any letters to there.

June receive and update for both stating that it was a little bit complicated for them to investigate and it’s been passed to a third company since then ( checked again last night) the appeals are still waiting to be reviewed.

We are now receiving payment reminders with increased fines ( again still being sent to my neighbour) but the letters also state we’ve waved our right to Appel as they have not received any as of yet really so why is there two logged on your system since May.

I’ve emailed you for updates and again told you about the incorrect address but nothing no response, can’t talk to anyone on the phone from IRCAS either and TFL customer services are about as useful as a chocolate fire guard and apparently can’t help either.

So what are we supposed to do !

I recently had an unfortunate encounter with West Midlands Trains and their penalty fare system, as well as the Appeals Service (AS) and IRCAS. The way they handled my case was extremely disappointing and left me feeling frustrated and mistreated.

Firstly, it is clear that the system lacks proper checks and balances. If the validity of my railcard had been verified before issuing the discounted ticket, this entire situation could have been avoided. A simple reminder about the expiration date of the railcard would have prevented me from purchasing the ticket in the first place. It is unfair to penalize passengers who genuinely weren't aware of their railcard's expiration, especially when it only expired a month ago.

Secondly, the penalty fare itself is exorbitant and disproportionate. The price difference between a full-price ticket and a discounted ticket is only £5.50, yet the fine imposed on me is a staggering £79. This level of punishment is unjustifiable, particularly for a student like myself who has limited financial resources. I would have gladly paid the price difference, but the fine imposed is simply unbearable and does not align with the nature of the offense.

Additionally, despite appealing multiple times and presenting my arguments clearly, the independent panel seemed to completely disregard my concerns and reasoning. The lack of consideration for my circumstances and the failure to address my valid points is both disheartening and unfair. It is disappointing to see the appeals process fall short of providing a fair and just outcome.

Overall, my experience with West Midlands Trains, the Appeals Service, and IRCAS has left me with the impression that these companies prioritize their revenue over fair treatment and customer satisfaction. The disproportionate penalty fare and the dismissal of legitimate appeals only reinforce the perception that they operate like con men and bullies.

I hope that this review draws attention to the need for a more equitable approach to penalty fares and encourages these companies to reevaluate their practices.

Worst experience

I did not know that to go to London Stansted Airport from Tottenham Hale station, contactless payment is not accepted and instead requires a ticket.

Upon arrival at Stansted I received a fine which I appealed however wasn’t granted:
‘’ All transport companies operating a Penalty Fare scheme display warning notices which advise transport users of their obligations and the potential consequences in failing to meet these.
The transport user is required to show on request a valid ticket. Contactless payment cards are only valid for travel within a permitted area. It is your responsibility to confirm that your card is valid for your entire journey prior to boarding the train. There are network maps displayed at all stations within the London area, confirming the stations that fall inside zones 1-9 where contactless payment and Oyster cards are valid for use. Please visit the Transport for London (TfL) website at [website link] for further information. ‘’

My recommendations to this organisation if their intent is to offer a good customer service (which is highly doubtful based on my experience with a fine issued, as well as the ones from so many people as seen on this website):
1. Accept contactless payment, otherwise disable the gates to the platform to stop accepting these cards
2. If unable to do the above, inform customers before boarding the trains (written signs & on loudspeakers)
3. Change “London Stansted airport” name to “Stansted airport”- how ridiculous you expect customers to think that they are not in London i.e. cannot use contactless payments!

I'm sure this is a scam. We dont use public transport yet have received a letter for someone we've never heard of and whom definitely doesn't live at our house.

The Don't care about customers They only see them as profits not people