Permit to travel

Most train operating companies (TOCs) have altered their penalty fare policies and have removed many Permit to Travel machines.

The machines, which closely resemble those found in pay and display car parks, were manufactured by Almex Control Systems.

[1] Machines were given the designation AS-9 (wall-mounted) or AS-88 (mounted on a metal base), but internal workings and tickets were identical in each case.

A button is pressed to print the permit, which shows a serial number, the station name, the date and time.

Because any amount of money on a valid Permit to Travel will ensure that a passenger cannot be charged a penalty fare, it is entirely possible (if the passenger is not encountered by an inspector, who will sell a full ticket) to make a two-hour train journey for as little as five pence (the lowest denomination coin the machine will accept) without breaching any fare regulations.

Permits to Travel from the pre-privatisation (left) and post-privatisation era, showing station name, machine number, date, time and amount paid.
Permit to Travel machine at Lichfield Trent Valley station , with the two LCD panels showing the current time (top) and the amount paid (bottom). Between these are two lights; the smaller light on the left indicates that the machine is out of order, while the other (illuminated in this picture) indicates that the machine has been deactivated because the station's ticket office is open. Photographed on 5 September 2006.
A Metric Aura PERTIS machine at Spondon station , with one LCD panel displaying messages, time and money entered. This machine has two coin reject buttons. Note that this machine has been vandalized as the cover over the interaction area is missing. Photographed on 8 February 2016.