My response - Govia Thameslink Railway notice of intention to prosecute

[contigo55]

Good evening everyone,

On March 11th, I received a notice of intention to prosecute (see attachment) from the Fare Evasion Manager at Govia Thameslink Railway. This is regarding an incident in late January in which I was rightly stopped and caught using a Blackfriars to Farringdon eticket to travel all the way from Cookham to Farringdon.

I accept full responsibility for my actions and have no excuses. Its safe to say that I will certainly be paying for full tickets from now on. I wish to maximise my chances of settling this matter without court action and a criminal record, and am prepared to pay fees.

I am ashamed to admit that this isn't the first occasion I have evaded a fare. I have been doing this a number of times since October 2023, and am happy to admit this to them. However, based on their letter, I am not sure if I should/need to admit this in my response (if I want to settle without going to court). Since I was caught in late January, I have paid in full for all travel. The only discrepancy is that one morning in February I was unable to print my full ticket at Cookham as the train departed early - when I arrived at Farringdon I went straight to a staff member to ask if I could print the ticket out there but he booked me onto the system.

Would anyone with experience in this community be able to offer some advice and proof read my reply? I would be immensely grateful.

All the best,
Contigo55

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Dear Sir/Madam,

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to respond to your letter from the 11th March 2024 (reference number GTREMG...).

On the morning of XX the XX of January, I was rightly stopped by a Revenue Inspection Officer at Farringdon Station and was unable to produce a valid ticket for my travel.

I offer no excuse for the above. I made a shortsighted decision which, in hindsight, was blatantly unethical and a disservice to the hard working railway staff and other passengers who pay in full.

I rely on these rail services. Without them, I would be stuck working at home five days a week, unable to foster professional relationships through in-person work. This is critical for me as a young person who has just begun their career and has struggled with loneliness in the past.

I am ashamed of the choice I made and accept full responsibility for my actions. Having reflected on the issue of fare evasion, I now recognise the damaging impact it has on the rail network. It is not something I want to be associated with. Instead, I wish to contribute to the upkeep of the rail network, support the hard working staff and help ensure the benefits of a well-functioning public transport system. Since the XX of January, I have only purchased full rail tickets for my travel from Cookham to Farringdon, and I promise to continue to do so.

I would be grateful for the opportunity to settle my misconduct outside of court. I wish to make amends by paying any fees you deem appropriate; the full, correct fare and any administrative costs I have created.

Finally, I apologise for the inconvenience I have caused, and can assure you that I will never repeat this wrongdoing.

Yours faithfully,
XX

P.S. - I am moving house from the 22nd of March. I wish to cooperate, so from that date, please send any mail correspondence to my new address:
*Insert new address*
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[30907]

I think your letter is fine - maybe slightly overdone, and I would cut the paragraph about your personal circumstances (brevity always helps!).

You are right to respond only to the incident mentioned, but they will investigate your purchase history (any e-tickets within the Oyster area will arouse suspicion) and that may affect the amount you end up paying

You are lucky that GTR stopped you, as they are generally willing to settle if you engage with them.

 

[contigo55]

I think your letter is fine - maybe slightly overdone, and I would cut the paragraph about your personal circumstances (brevity always helps!).

You are right to respond only to the incident mentioned, but they will investigate your purchase history (any e-tickets within the Oyster area will arouse suspicion) and that may affect the amount you end up paying

You are lucky that GTR stopped you, as they are generally willing to settle if you engage with them.

Great thank you so much for the help 30907.

I'll cut the paragraph as yes I see your point it might be overcooking it (although it is true!).

Do they accept hand written responses, or should I type and print it out?

 

[30907]

Do they accept hand written responses, or should I type and print it out?

Yes they do, but be nice to the person reading it, even if your handwriting is superb!

Type it on a separate sheet (or in the space provided if you are very clever with margins!), but make sure you cross-reference the two documents, don't just rely on a staple or paperclip.

 

[contigo55]

Yes they do, but be nice to the person reading it, even if your handwriting is superb!

Type it on a separate sheet (or in the space provided if you are very clever with margins!), but make sure you cross-reference the two documents, don't just rely on a staple or paperclip.

Thanks so much for the advice.

As previously mentioned in my initial post, my details were taken again in February at Farringdon by GTR because I asked the inspector if I could be let through so I could print out my ticket (which I had paid for in full before I got on the train and can prove it with a receipt). In this case I wasn't fare evading, I just made a mistake and didn't have time to print my ticket out at Cookham, which again I accept full responsibility for. Today, I received another notice of intention to prosecute from GTR about this incident, which basically says the exact same as the notice attached in my initial post.

My question is - should I reply to GTR with one letter addressing both cases, or write two letters and send them separately?

 

[Titfield]

Personally I would write two letters: one for each case.

My rationale is that if I wrote one letter to answer both "incidents" then there would be a degree of probability that the response would be attached to one incident file only and not to both. Even if both case reference numbers were quoted "bold and clear" there is a possibility of human error which could result in action being escalated to court for the "unanswered" incident.

 

[StarCrossing]

I was unable to print my full ticket at Cookham as the train departed early

Could you please explain what you mean by this?

 

[Haywain]

My question is - should I reply to GTR with one letter addressing both cases, or write two letters and send them separately?

I concur that you should write two letters, but I see no reason why you shouldn't send them together, and cross reference them by mentioning the other case in each.

 

[contigo55]

I concur that you should write two letters, but I see no reason why you shouldn't send them together, and cross reference them by mentioning the other case in each.

Great thank you Titfield and Haywain, that makes sense - no point risking the chance of human error when there is no need to. I'll write separate letters for each notice and cross reference each.

Could you please explain what you mean by this?

Sorry I should've been clearer - I didn't have time to print out the ticket I paid for at the station because (1) My train arrived and departed slightly ahead of schedule, and (2) I was running late and didn't leave enough time for me to print out the ticket before boarding.

 

[fandroid]

Sorry I should've been clearer - I didn't have time to print out the ticket I paid for at the station because (1) My train arrived and departed slightly ahead of schedule, and (2) I was running late and didn't leave enough time for me to print out the ticket before boarding.

I'm afraid that wouldn't be a defence. The only circumstances which allow you board a train with just a receipt would be if the ticket machine wasn't working and there was no ticket office open. Even then it's tricky as you ideally need to get a photo to prove the machine had failed.

 

[contigo55]

I'm afraid that wouldn't be a defence. The only circumstances which allow you board a train with just a receipt would be if the ticket machine wasn't working and there was no ticket office open. Even then it's tricky as you ideally need to get a photo to prove the machine had failed.

Okay thanks for the useful information Fandroid.

So for my letter, would the best option be to just accept full responsibility, apologise, and also highlight that I did pay for the ticket and went straight to the inspector when I arrived at Farringdon? I’m thinking of attaching the receipt number too.

Keen to hear anyones thoughts.