Railcard issue

[lll2266]

I was asked by railway prosecution person on 8th april for my railcard

I showed my railcard to realise it expired

I had come from a long flight got really panicky and said something completely random he was quite rude to me and I offered to pay fine or anything needed

However he filed a ticket irregularity report



My railcard expired an year ago i.e. 16-25 one may 2023

I had another one friends and family which expired in September 2023



In between the timespan I made around 8-9 journeys in total



I used to keep using my railcard interchangeably and remaining time my friends had



I know it is me being stupid but I am not sure how I should respond to the letter I got please help

 

[Gloster]

As a first step please post a copy of the letter in this thread. Do obscure your name, address and any other identifying details, such as reference numbers.

What company was this with?

 

[lll2266]

As a first step please post a copy of the letter in this thread. Do obscure your name, address and any other identifying details, such as reference numbers.

What company was this with?

I have attached it now, it’s with transpenine

 

[30907]

You are asked to offer an explanation for travelling with a railcard discounted ticket when you no longer had a railcard.

You don't really have one (except carelessness on your part in not checking) so you need to apologise, to acknowledge that travel without valid tickets cost the railway a lot, to assure them that you won't repeat the offence, and to ask if they would consider an out of court settlement in lieu of prosecution.

They probably will, BUT you must expect them to have investigated your travel history and to ask for the full fare for each journey you made without a railcard.
(You don't need to admit to the previous occasions, but don't imply that there weren't any!)

Forum member Hadders regularly posts a suggested outline, so you might like to search this sub-forum for his posts.

Feel free to post a draft for comments (provided you don't mind us being a bit picky) and ask for further advice as and when.

BTW - at this stage I wouldn't mention the F and F railcard; they will probably pick that up (the child's ticket is a giveaway!) but it isn't relevant to the recent incident when you had a 16-25 ticket.

 

[Hadders]

Welcome to the forum!

The inspector was correct in issuing you with a ticket irregularity report in this case - your railcard was out of date by a significant period of time, and as a result your ticket was not valid which is a criminal offence. That said, if you co-operate with Transpennine I think it's likely that prosecution can be avoided.

I suggest writing a short, concise letter mentioning the following points:

- 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 the train company's administrative costs in dealing with the matter

Transpennine are usually prepared to offer an out of court settlement to people who co-operate with their investigation and who haven't come to the attention before. Expect to have to pay the value of fares avoided at full Anytime rate with no credit given for the tickets you did purchase along with an admin fee of around £150. Transpennine will also likely your online ticket purchasing history and will likely want you to include the other tickets purchased when you didn't have a valid railcard as well.

Feel free to post a draft copy of your proposed reply in this thread and forum members will proof read it for you.

 

[6Gman]

My railcard expired an year ago i.e. 16-25 one may 2023
I had another one friends and family which expired in September 2023
In between the timespan I made around 8-9 journeys in total

I used to keep using my railcard interchangeably and remaining time my friends had

I know it is me being stupid but I am not sure how I should respond to the letter I got please help

The advice given by @Hadders is important and you should follow it.

But can I ask what the section highlighted above means? In what way were you using the railcards interchangeably?