I'm facing court after I bought the wrong ticket and saved only £1.90

A man may be taken to court for buying an invalid train ticket with his railcard, paying £1.90 less than he should have.

Sam Williamson mistakenly used his 16-25 railcard for a journey between Broadbottom and Manchester last Thursday morning before the concession card was valid at 10am.

He was travelling to a centre to take his driving theory test when he was told by Northern Railway staff that his ticket was not valid for the service.

His 'innocent mistake' is now costing him at least £150 in fines - 7,794 per cent more than the fare difference.

A spokesperson for the train operator said that passengers are responsible for ensuring they have the correct ticket and that 96 per cent of customers were compliant.

Mr Williamson had previously used his railcard for morning journeys in July and August, when the 10am rule did not apply, BBC News reported.

The Oxford University engineering graduate purchased the erroneous 'anytime' ticket on the Northern App.

He told MailOnline: 'It's amazing to see how many people have been caught by this. Northern Rail are one of the more rigorous ones when it comes to checking things.

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'The fine is £150. It's hugely disproportionate compared to the difference between the ticket fair.'

He added: 'It's frustrating. This train line I had been using for most of my life. You used to be able to board the train and buy a ticket on it.

'I think there's an element of being a bit intimidated. I'm not trying to start a scene and cause trouble.

'It just feels unfair and a disproportionate response.' 

Holders of 16-25 railcards, which cost £30 for one year or £70 for three years, qualify for a third off rail travel.

The scheme was first launched as the 'student card' in 1974. 

But it comes with a few restrictions, including a £12 minimum fare for journeys starting before 10am.

Mr Williamson's ticket cost him only £3.95, therefore rendering his trip ineligible for the concession. 

He was not given the option to buy a new ticket or pay a penalty fare, and instead an incident report was filed.

Train operating companies have the power to privately prosecute passengers who pay the wrong fare, but can also choose to settle out of court or take no further action.

But taking out a criminal prosecution is an opportunity to squeeze a far larger fine out of customers than a tiny fare difference or the cost of a new ticket.

Northern declined to comment on its policy of not allowing customers to pay minuscule fare differences on invalid tickets.

It said: 'As with all train operators across the UK, everyone has a duty to buy a valid ticket or obtain a promise to pay voucher before they board the train and be able to present it to the conductor or revenue protection officer during a ticket inspection.

'The overwhelming majority of our customers – upwards of 96 per cent - do just that.'

A DfT spokesperson said: “Ticketing has become far too complicated, which is why we have committed to simplifying it for customers, as part of the biggest overhaul of our railways in a generation.

'We expect Northern to ensure their policy on ticketing is clear and fair for passengers at all times and have instructed the operator to review the details of these cases urgently.'