Can I get fined for sleeping on public transport?

WE all know that familiar frustration of missing your stop, when you've nodded off on the commute home.

However on longer journeys, sleeping on the bus, train or Tube may be the best way to pass the time, but can you be fined for it?

Can I get fined for sleeping on the bus, train or Tube?

There is no law that prohibits you from sleeping on buses, trains, or Tubes, so you cannot be fined for it.

While for lots of people falling asleep on public transport is an irritating mistake, or simply a way to make long trips feel less cumbersome, this is not the case for everyone.

For those experiencing homelessness it can be their only option, and one that means they have a roof over their head while they sleep.

In 2017 Transport for London found that rough sleeping on the city's buses had increased by 121%.

Can train inspectors wake you up?

There is technically no rule against sleeping on trains, but passengers can regularly be woken up by train inspectors.

Ticket inspection is one of the main reasons people's sleep is disturbed on public transport.

Under section 219 of the Transport Act 2000, Railway bylaw 18(2), it says a person has to hand over their ticket for inspection and verification of validity when asked to do so by an authorised person.

When asked by the inspector you must produce a valid ticket.

If you do not have one you need to prove that the departure station’s ticket facilities were not in working order.

And they won't let you off if you're sound asleep – not even if you're snoring.

Other reasons include, if there were notices at the departure station permitting journeys without a valid ticket, or an authorised person had given you specific permission to travel without a valid ticket.

The inspector has the right to ask you to move if you're sleeping in a reserved seat.

Bylaw 19 states that except with permission from an authorised person, no person shall remain in any seat, berth or any part of a train that is reserved for someone else.

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