I have been in contact with TFW regarding the case who say that 'TIL will not pass on cases to us. You will need to speak with TIL directly regarding their case with you'. So seemingly, I do not have the chance of settling with the transport company themselves? I thought they were the ones taking me to court eventually?
I am going to try sending a letter to TIL again, though I have little hope now. Any suggestions are welcome:
I am writing to you again in the hope that you will kindly consider my request to settle my case outside of court. I certainly did not intend to travel without a valid ticket and will explain this further in the following letter. I am very sorry for any inconveniences my mistake caused and I do understand that fare evasion is a huge issue for transport companies. I hope you are able to reflect on this letter before taking this case to court. Again, I am offering to pay any amount of financial settlement to you and any administrative charges promptly, instead of taking this to court. I understand from your website that this is feasible by yourselves and TFW as it says that it may be agreed to ‘resolve the disputed issue by allowing payment of the fare and administration costs incurred by the rail company as an alternative to proceeding to Court action’.
At the time of the journey, I was under the impression that my ticket was valid. It was only upon arriving at Cardiff Central in which I was informed that it was not. If I had known the ticket was not valid I would have taken immediate action to ensure that I did have a valid ticket. I had no intention in trying to purposefully change the validity of the ticket in any way at all. It was a genuine mistake and I am deeply sorry for any inconveniences caused.
On the ' ', after changing trains at Reading, I had to wait at Reading station for nearly an hour because my train to Cardiff Central was delayed. This was because there was a broken down train ahead. I was due to catch the quarter past 2 train but ended up having to wait longer to catch a train. I became worried that my ticket would need to be changed because of this, due to the train that I would be catching was of a different peak time. I tried to change the time of the ticket, thinking it may be a flexible ticket but the ticket was accidentally refunded. The fact the ticket was refunded can be down to not knowing how trainline works properly and being in a rushed and stressful situation. I did not realise it had been accidentally refunded and had I known I would have ensured I had a valid ticket.
Furthermore, later in the day on the trainline (where the ticket was purchased), the ticket did not appear as ‘refunded’; it only did a day after the journey, so evidently I was not to know that it had become invalid. I do not catch trains regularly and so the added stress of the delayed train meant that I could not think clearly, ultimately causing the incident with the ticket. Additionally, I usually use paper tickets and so having an e-ticket screenshot proved to cause confusion. It was certainly a matter of misunderstanding on how the trainline and e-tickets work. It was a genuine mistake and in no way was it intentional at all. I would never intend to do anything unlawful, nor have I ever done before. As shown by your records, I have always had valid tickets while travelling. Likewise, I have a valid railcard which I have always presented on all rail journeys.
Upon my arrival at Cardiff Central I spoke to a staff member from Transport Investigations who assured me that the matter would be dealt with through the rail company and that I would ‘only have to pay a financial settlement to the transport company’. She also informed me that she was only cautioning me, and that the matter would not go beyond paying a sum to the company. So, having being informed of this by a TIL staff member I find it agreeable that this would be the right way forward.
I am a University student and do not want this mix up to impact my life and the career I want to pursue; I do not want a 'criminal record' and such to affect this. I would be willing to pay any sum in order to avoid this. I hope you are able to give this some consideration too.
I would be more than happy to answer any questions or confusions you may have regarding my case, in person, over the phone or in writing.
Again, I apologise for any inconveniences incurred, and I do hope that you reconsider my case and allow me to promptly pay any amount of settlement to you, which I would be glad to pay, without taking me to prosecution. I never have, and never would intend to act unlawfully and it was certainly never my intention to travel without a valid ticket. I hope you give thought and reflect on this letter before a final decision is made.