Fine to travel?

Commuters who attempt to dodge rail fares are set to face minimum fines of £20 under plans detailed by the government.

Transport minister David Jamieson said on Tuesday that the penalty should be doubled from its current level of £10.

Under the current rules those caught attempting to evade their fare pay either £10 or twice the single fare - whichever is the greater.

The plan is subject to a 12 week consultation and could be introduced as early as January 2005.

"At a time when government is investing huge amounts of money into the railways, it's estimated that hundreds of millions of pounds are lost to the industry each year through fare evasion," the minister said.

"It's obvious that the current penalty of £10 is not enough to deter the persistent fare-dodgers who repeatedly avoid payment in the belief that they can easily afford the fine when they are caught.

"These proposals should help to reduce the number of fare-dodgers and act as a more realistic deterrent for others."