Hannah’s story

The complaint

Hannah is a Year 12 student who hadn’t been fined before. The DTP reviewed her fine a second time and changed it to a warning. 

Hannah was fined for travelling without a valid ticket. She asked the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) to review its decision to fine her.

In her review application, Hannah explained that she was running late to catch a train into Melbourne’s CBD for a school excursion. She said she only realised her myki had a negative balance when she tried to tap-on as her train was pulling into the station. She decided to board the train and top-up at Flinders Street Station. 

Hannah explained her situation to the gate attendant at Flinders Street, who let her through the gates. She was reported by an Authorised Officer while walking to the myki top-up machines. 

Why was Hannah’s review application unsuccessful?

The DTP said the reason Hannah provided in her application didn’t excuse her offence.  

Why did Hannah contact the PTO about her fine? 

Hannah contacted us because she disagreed with the DTP’s decision and thought her fine was “unjust”. She also told us that the fine would be difficult for her to pay.

How did the PTO help Hannah?

We spoke with Hannah about her review application and her personal circumstances.

Hannah told us she had turned 18 about a week before her interaction with the Authorised Officer, that her parents usually managed the family’s myki cards, and that she only used public transport a few times a year. She also said she’d never received a fine or an official warning before.

We talked to the DTP about Hannah’s circumstances, and about the fairness of her fine due to her age and lack of public transport experience. We also asked the DTP to confirm that Hannah was a first-time offender, and to provide us with more information about their decision-making in her case.

After receiving our request, the DTP reviewed Hannah’s fine again.