proof of identity

[train234]

I was on the train yesterday and the ticket inspector was coming round scanning tickets and he got to me and i had bought a children's ticket as i have done this for a while as i have recently just turned 16 but i got a childrens single ticket for £11 instead if paying for an adults £23 i have not had an issue with this and never been asked for ID i know i should if just bought the adults but i didnt think i would get ID but i did and i just said i was 15 hoping he would just scan my ticket and go but he then asked me fir proof of my age which i obviously didnt have and he then asks for my name and adress which i give and said they will send a letter to my house for me to prove im 15 but obviously i cant do this so will i just have to pay the fine or will this be taken further

i know realise my mistake and should of just told the truth but when 2 men are stood towering above me it was rather intimidating

what should i do from here?

 

[AlterEgo]

I was on the train yesterday and the ticket inspector was coming round scanning tickets and he got to me and i had bought a children's ticket as i have done this for a while as i have recently just turned 16 but i got a childrens single ticket for £11 instead if paying for an adults £23 i have not had an issue with this and never been asked for ID i know i should if just bought the adults but i didnt think i would get ID but i did and i just said i was 15 hoping he would just scan my ticket and go but he then asked me fir proof of my age which i obviously didnt have and he then asks for my name and adress which i give and said they will send a letter to my house for me to prove im 15 but obviously i cant do this so will i just have to pay the fine or will this be taken further

i know realise my mistake and should of just told the truth but when 2 men are stood towering above me it was rather intimidating

what should i do from here?

You should probably tell your parents first, assuming you still live at home. The train company will write to you and ask you for your side of the story.

Which train company is involved here?

 

[Gloster]

If that is your postcode in the Location I suggest you change it. Contact the mods if you need help with this.

 

[train234]

You should probably tell your parents first, assuming you still live at home. The train company will write to you and ask you for your side of the story.

Which train company is involved here?

It was northern rail do you know if they will just fine me or will they pursue it further?

 

[AlterEgo]

It was northern rail do you know if they will just fine me or will they pursue it further?

As you’re under 18 it’s not certain what they will do, but they will likely settle out of court for the outstanding fare plus an administration fee of £100-150. If you don’t settle then they may prosecute you for the criminal offence in the magistrates’ court.

 

[train234]

As you’re under 18 it’s not certain what they will do, but they will likely settle out of court for the outstanding fare plus an administration fee of £100-150. If you don’t settle then they may prosecute you for the criminal offence in the magistrates’ court.

Okay thank you id rather just pay the fine now and get it other with thank you for the help

 

[skyhigh]

They will almost certainly write to "The Parent or Guardian of..." and ask for proof of age, then all the outstanding fares plus an admin fee.

As an aside, if you are 16, buy a 16-17 Saver Railcard now as this will legitimately let you buy tickets with a discount to the child price.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

#TRAIN234. Welcome to the forum. As @skyhigh has just noted, are you not eligible for a 16-17 Saver railcard? This will enable you to be eligible to buy legitimately discounted half priced rail tickets, moving forward.

More info here...

16-17 Saver | Half Price Travel | National Rail - 16-17 Saver

50% off Rail Fares for just £30 with the 16-17 Saver Railcard. Enjoy great train journeys for less - Buy Now

www.16-17saver.co.uk

 

[Haywain]

As an aside, if you are 16, buy a 16-17 Saver Railcard now as this will legitimately let you buy tickets with a discount to the child price.

Until you turn 18, at which point you should get a 16-25 Railcard.

 

[dosxuk]

Okay thank you id rather just pay the fine now and get it other with thank you for the help

Make sure you stick to the rules 100% going forwards - even when this is sorted out your name will be known to the rail companies and if you get caught again doing something you shouldn't you won't be given the benefit of the doubt. Things can have very serious consequences once you hit 18 and are caught applying a wrong discount.

 

[Titfield]

Make sure you stick to the rules 100% going forwards - even when this is sorted out your name will be known to the rail companies and if you get caught again doing something you shouldn't you won't be given the benefit of the doubt. Things can have very serious consequences once you hit 18 and are caught applying a wrong discount.

and make absolutely sure you know the name of the precise railcard you hold and ensure that when selecting the railcard from the drop down menu you choose the correct one.

We have seen a number of cases where online bookers have selected the incorrect railcard and thus the ticket is invalid.

For example (1) 16 - 17 Saver (2) 16 -25 Railcard are two completely different railcards.

 

[6Gman]

How have you been buying your tickets?

If you've been buying at ticket offices then they are unlikely to be able to trace a purchasing history.

If you've been buying online they will almost certainly be able to trace things.

 

[train234]

#TRAIN234. Welcome to the forum. As @skyhigh has just noted, are you not eligible for a 16-17 Saver railcard? This will enable you to be eligible to buy legitimately discounted half priced rail tickets, moving forward.

More info here...

16-17 Saver | Half Price Travel | National Rail - 16-17 Saver

50% off Rail Fares for just £30 with the 16-17 Saver Railcard. Enjoy great train journeys for less - Buy Now

www.16-17saver.co.uk

thank you i will look into getting one of these

 

[WesternLancer]

Okay thank you id rather just pay the fine now and get it other with thank you for the help

Yes, you might rather do that, but unfortunately it's not your choice. It's up to the railway to decide what they do now and they may not offer you that option.

 

[AlbertBeale]

Okay thank you id rather just pay the fine now and get it other with thank you for the help

Re "Just pay the fine" - technically, only a court can fine you. If the railway company settle the matter without going to court there are no formal legal implications - no fine, no criminal record, etc. But you need to write to them in a way that persuades them to settle without going to court (in the end the choice is theirs) - this normally involves making them sure you won't do it again, as well as paying them money to make up for the tickets you didn't have, and to cover their costs in investigating the matter. However the complication here is that although you're over 16 and therefore not eligible for a child ticket, you are under the age at which it's common to prosecute (I believe a court case is less likely to happen, at least for this sort of case, if you're under 18). So it's not clear what approach they will take; however, it's not yuor choice.

A further complication is that you said you were 15 - which means they'll almost certainly write to your parents, as the people having some legal responsibility for you. Have you told your family about this?

And lastly, for when you write to the railway company with your explanation/apology/etc... Your initial posting here took me several attempts to read and understand it - it was just a stream of words with no punctuation. Since your letter will need to persuade them to not jump on you too hard, legally, it needs to be very clear. They'll be dealing with stacks of letters every day, and you need to make their life easier if you want them to treat you well; so you need to put some effort into your communication with them.