This is the standard verification that TfL send to people. It is your opportunity to give your version of events before they decide how to proceed. My usual advice is to mention the following points in your reply:
- That you are sorry for what has happened
- What you have learned from the incident
- That you are keen to settle the matter without the need for court action
- Offer to pay the outstanding fare and TfL's administrative costs in dealing with the matter
You can find examples of letters sent by other people if you search through other threads in this section of the forum.
Do bear in mind that TfL do not normally give out of court settlements, the normal outcome is a prosecution under the TfL Byelaws althugh in some limited circumstances they do issue a final warning. Here's a link to TfL's Revenue Enforcement & Prosecutions Policy which you might find worth reading:
If you post a copy of your proposed reply in this thread forum members will be happy to proof read it for you.
This is my response in which i will print out and staple together. would appreciate any feedback.
This letter is regarding the incident that occurred on 25 April. I was running late to work and was in a rush- it was busy at the Hayes and Harlington station that day, people where queueing up.
I continued walking and tapped my phone on the reader and the gates closed on me last second. A member of staff approached me saying you just went through that, I responded with I paid.
I looked over to the other member of staff for reassurance, but he said I didn’t pay. I was confused because I had tapped my card but clearly it did not register. I said, “what should I do now” and walked over to the exit barriers and tapped my card, the staff member said, there’s no point.
I thought it doesn’t matter if it exit or entrance, it will still take the same payment out. was now aware obviously didn’t make a difference however i didn’t want to extend my arm over and pay from the entrance barriers in case not the correct way to go about the matter.
A staff told me to come to the side in which he asked for ID, I said no I haven’t got ID apart from my bank card, he took down my details, at first i wasn’t honest because i didn’t feel comfortable giving it, but once he told me we legally have to take this down, i felt more comfortable as he does have that authority and gave it to him.
We had a friendly encounter; I was compliant and didn’t make his job difficult.
i said to him how can i resolve this issue. he said just wait for the letter to explain your side of the story and check your statement for the payment.
24 hours later looking at my statement the payment didn’t go through however i had no intention to tailgate or fare evade.
I like to sincerely apologise to the anyone in the TFL team which I have caused an inconvenience too, it was never my intention to fare evade. I understand the severity of the offence and would take full accountability and responsibility.
This is a really embarrassing matter, and I’m truly disappointed in my actions, I went back to the same station a couple days later asking for information on why my card didn’t go through etc.
I now know I must hold it for 3 seconds; I tapped it for a second because I was in a rush, Please forgive me, i was so focused on making in on time for work my mind was all over the place, However going forward, I am now aware of what needs to be done- I will wait for the gates to fully close and hold my card for 3 seconds.
I understand this process costs the TFL, hence why I am offering to pay the outstanding fare and TfL's administrative costs in dealing with the matter and would be keen to settle the matter without the need for court action.
I would like to conclude by saying I’m sorry for what I have done and for what im making the team go through, I take full accountability for what has happened and can ensure you this will never happen again. I have got a clean criminal / TFL Record.
I understand my mistake and going forward I will make sure the gates are fully closed and hold my card for a minimum of 3 seconds.