Fare Evasion: received the letter today, any help in how to respond will be much appreciated!

[JessieSolomon]

Hi there,

I was caught yesterday morning with the wrong ticket when travelling on the Thameslink. I gave the inspector a similar name to my own and the wrong house number. I eventually just walked off from the inspector but he did scan my ticket which is linked to my Trainline account which is guess is traceable. I've bought the wrong ticket about 10 times over the last couple months.

After realising it's a criminal offence and that there's serious repercussions I want to ask for advice on what to do next.

Foolishly didn't know how serious bumping the train is and will go back to paying the full fare as I was before thinking I could save a bit of money.

I've read numerous threads and the general guidance I've seen is to just wait and see if they reach out. I don't have access to the given address but it's across the road and could knock on their door and ask them to keep a look out.

One thing I'm curious about is the ticket inspector knew I gave a false address before I walked off as he could see who was registered at that address. Would they submit the form anyway knowing the details were false?

Appreciate any guidance and know I'm a ejit for how I've handled this situation.

Best

 

[John R]

Firstly you might want to ask admin to change your account name, if it is your real one, to protect your identity.

Secondly, you committed a further criminal offence by not giving your correct details, in addition to fare evasion.

The good news is that GTR, who you will be dealing with, is normally very amenable at offering an out of court settlement to avoid prosecution. So when it writes to you, you need to be cooperative (ie respond within its deadline), honest, apologetic and make it clear that you will not do it again.

If your trainline account has your correct details then they will find you in due course - probably sooner rather than later if the inspector identified that you were lying to him. When you get the letter then post it here and we can give more specific advice bearing in mind what it says in relation to any previous instances it has identified.

In the meantime, make sure you buy the correct tickets before you set foot on a train, as even buying on board with an app is an offence - you have to do it before boarding.

 

[JessieSolomon]

Thanks for your response! I'll keep an eye out for the letter. Hopefully it makes it way to my actual address. I'll share if/once I receive it.

All good regarding the name. Just an alias.

Best

 

[WesternLancer]

Thanks for your response! I'll keep an eye out for the letter. Hopefully it makes it way to my actual address. I'll share if/once I receive it.

All good regarding the name. Just an alias.

Best

It’s vital you get and respond to the letter otherwise it’ll just go to court and the first you’ll hear about it is court bailiffs who will find you (see other threads). By then the costs and hassle to you will have substantially increased as you will have a criminal record, court fines and costs against you. You need to avoid that. It can be avoided by seeking to obtain an out of court settlement but to achieve that you need to co-operate and engage with them - without them having your correct details that is hard to achieve.

It may be worth e-mailing their prosecutions team now to correct the address you gave (tell them when and where you were stopped and the name you gave) - address corrections is one of the few things they accept by e-mail.

If you find another thread involving Thameslink where someone has uploaded a copy of one of their letters you will probably find the correct e-mail address on that.

 

[JessieSolomon]

Thanks for your response. Hopefully they send to the correct address by checking the trainline as the inspector was fully aware I gave a false address

 

[WesternLancer]

Thanks for your response. Hopefully they send to the correct address by checking the trainline as the inspector was fully aware I gave a false address

I wouldn't rely on that to be frank.

You have a strong incentive to make sure you get the letter. They won't care as much as they know they can get a court conviction, their costs etc. They deal with hundreds of these at a time - all the cards are in their hands.

 

[Jennifer2024]

hi - the same thing happened to me recently and I was left with a GTREMG form and they had my correct name & address. i am in a similar situation and did not realise it was a criminal offence. Is it best to wait until i receive a letter, after googling and reading on the thameslinkrailways prosecutions web page im feeling quite anxious

 

[Titfield]

hi - the same thing happened to me recently and I was left with a GTREMG form and they had my correct name & address. i am in a similar situation and did not realise it was a criminal offence. Is it best to wait until i receive a letter, after googling and reading on the thameslinkrailways prosecutions web page im feeling quite anxious

You should really start your own thread as no two cases are exactly the same and it avoids confusion to readers of the thread.

However to answer what is a simple question: Yes await receipt of the letter and then upload to a new thread with your personal details redacted (obscured) so that advice tailored to your situation can be given.

 

[JessieSolomon]

I'm thinking of sending this to [email protected] - good or bad idea?

Dear whom this may concern,

On the 5th November, I was stopped at X station around 8am in the morning with the wrong ticket for my journey. I foolishly had a great lapse in judgement and provided an incorrect name and address.

If you will allow me to, I would like to correct my details to ensure I receive any correspondence regarding the incident to fully cooperate in any investigation.

I gave the following details:

Name - XYZ
Address - XYZ

My correct details are:

Name - XYZ
Address - XYZ

I do not intend to attempt to mitigate anything with this email, I just want to ensure I receive any letters.

Best,

XYZ

 

[John R]

Yes, that would be fine. Do you have a reference number on any piece of paper they gave you? If so, quote that too.

 

[JessieSolomon]

Sent. Fingers crossed. Thanks for your help!

 

[JessieSolomon]

Hi all,

I received the letter today (thankfully). Any help in how to respond will be greatly appreciated. Does it need to be hand written or can I type up and staple it?

I intend to be honest and state that since the incident I have paid for the full fare on all journeys.

Cheers in advance for the help!

 

[Titfield]

The advice forum members give in these circumstances is to send a short, concise reply that mentions:

- 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(s) and the train company's administrative costs in dealing with the matter.

You can either write clearly on the reverse of the letter or word process a response and attach to the letter. Make sure you mention the reference number in case it becomes detached whilst being processed. Send by signed for delivery so that you have proof of delivery.

If you upload a draft here, forum members will review and suggest improvements based on prior experience.

Most Train Operating Companies are normally prepared to offer an out of court settlement to people who co-operate with them, and who haven't come to their attention before. Expect to have to pay the cost of the outstanding fare at the full Anytime rate with no credit given on the occasions you travelled without a railcard. In addition you will have to pay an admin fee, typically around £100 - £200.

 

[JessieSolomon]

Thanks for your response! Here's a draft:

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to your letter dated XXXXXX, reference number: XXXXXX

On XXXXXX, I was stopped by a Revenue Protection Inspector at XXXXXX station and was unable to produce a valid ticket.

That morning, I had a great lapse in judgement and made the poor decision to buy a ticket for a shorter journey than the one I was actually taking.

Since the incident, I have made sure to have the correct ticket and will continue to do so. I can provide receipts of this if needed.

After doing some research, I realise fare evasion is against the law and has a negative impact on the railway system. I regret my actions immensely and I’m genuinely sorry.

I would be grateful for the opportunity to resolve this matter out of court and I wish to make amends by paying any fees deemed necessary, including the full fare and any administrative costs incurred.

Sincerely,

 

[Titfield]

It is rather brief which gives the impression that you are being dismissive of the seriousness of the situation.

It needs expanding - there are some good examples you can adapt on this forum.

After doing some research, I realise fare evasion is against the law

Do not say this as you should know this already.

deemed necessary, including the full fare and any administrative costs incurred.

Do not say deemed necessary as it has an air of "if you must charge me" about it.

 

[JessieSolomon]

Thanks! Appreciate the feedback. I'll take a look

 

[Leo12]

Thanks! Appreciate the feedback. I'll take a look

Hi did you receive your decision yet?

 

[30907]

Hi did you receive your decision yet?

The OP has 14 days to reply from 27 January.

In any case, they are not dealing with TfL as in your case, but with a different operator who operate a very different policy.

 

[junaid887]

Thanks! Appreciate the feedback. I'll take a look

Hi did you receive your decision yet?

 

[Hadders]

Hi did you receive your decision yet?

If you require assisyance please start your own threadand we will be happy to assist. To avios any confusion we only discuss one case in each thread.