Letter received for fare evasion. Help with response

[osmosis2025]

Hi there,

Back in October I was caught without a valid rail card and received a letter dated 31st December. I have been away and opened the letter yesterday, and need to send this response asap. I have read through all the super helpful advice and I wanted to ask, if I should include some specific context parts to help my case or just follow the template. My 26-30 railcard had expired in October 2023. I was travelling in October 2024 when caught.

1) I had travelled between stratford and farringdon on the Lizzie line using a contactless card, and bought a ticket on trainline between farringdon and gatwick airport because I was unsure if contactless is a valid ticket and ironically my need to do the right thing made me purchase a ticket.

2) I had made a journey previously on the trains in November 2023, and I believed I had renewed my railcard but since looking through my bank statements and emails, it has now become apparent only my purchase of my mum's senior railcard had gone through.

3) when the officer asked me to show my railcard, I confidently presented it to him completely missing that it said 2023. When he pointed it out, I immediately clicked renew to rectify.


Should I include these 3 parts of context to help my case?

Thanks in advance

 

[Hadders]

Welcome to the forum!

It's a little but difficult to understand exactly what happened but can I check:

- Your journey was from Stratford to Gatwick Airport
- You used contactless from Stratford to Farringdon
- You used a ticket purchased on Trainline from Farringdon to Gatwick Airport

Can you tell me:

- Did you touch in at Stratford and touch out at Farringdon?
- When did you purchase your ticket from Farringdon to Gatwick Airport. Was it before you boarded the train at Farringdon?
- Was the ticket from Farringdon to Gatwick Airport an e-ticket (i.e. a barcode displayed on your phone?)

There's nothing wrong with using a combination of contactless and a 'normal' ticket to make a journey as long as the train calls where you switch tickets, which is fine because you changed trains at Farringdon.

We know that there was an issue with your expired railcard, I just want to establish whether there was any other irregularity with your tickets as this could affect the advice given.

Can you post a redacted copy of the letter you have been sent by the train company (I assume you're dealing with GTR?). If they've sent what they normally sent then I recommend sending a short concise reply 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

Don't over complicate it with detail. If the only issue is the expired railcard then don't go into detail about using contactless between Stratford and Farringdon (railcard discounts aren't applicable if you use contactless), and don't mention your mum's railcard - it just adds unnecessary complication.

Post a draft reply in this thread and forum members will be happy to proof read it for you.

 

[osmosis2025]

Hi Hadders, thanks for your response and all the other replies in the forum - it has been super helpful!

Attached is my letter - seems to be the usual letter people receive.

Yes that is correct - I tapped out of farringdon after using the Lizzie Line, then realised I needed to get back into the same side and bought an e ticket beforehand. The lady at the barrier said use your contactless but I wanted to be safe

I will draft a response now and share it here. I will need to get this to the post office today I think? Not sure how lenient they are.

 

[notmyrealname]

Hi.

That's quite a tight timescale for people to proofread your letter but I expect people will try. Post your draft reply as soon as you can.

 

[Hadders]

I expect GTR will offer you an out of court settlement.

If you post a draft reply in this thread we will try and proof read it later.

 

[osmosis2025]

I expect GTR will offer you an out of court settlement.

If you post a draft reply in this thread we will try and proof read it later.

Dear Fare Evasion Manager,

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to explain what happened on Thursday 3rd October at Gatwick Airport Station.

I was travelling from Stratford to Gatwick Airport, changing from the Lizzie Line at Farringdon Station. I used my contactless payment card for this journey, and got confused at the Farringdon barriers when making the change to the Thameslink service to get to Gatwick. In an effort to ensure I was travelling with a valid ticket and do the right thing, I took a precautionary measure and bought an E Ticket to Gatwick Airport. Once I got to Gatwick Airport, the revenue protection officer asked to scan my ticket which I showed him, and then he asked me to bring up my digital Rail card. I bought it up and showed him and he pointed out it had expired. This was news to me and I apologised to the officer and purchased a railcard in front of him, hoping to rectify the situation. He explained this was too late which I completely understood and he preceeded to take down my details.

He advised me to provide evidence of my new railcard via the thameslink website which I did immediately on 03/10/2024 but I have not heard back. My new railcard is xxxx.

I am incredibly sorry for my oversight on this occasion and it was never my intention to defraud the rail industry. I will always double check I have the right ticket going forward, and will probably always use my oyster when travelling to Gatwick.

Would you be willing to settle this matter outside of court where I can pay the outstanding fare along with the admin costs incurred?

Best,
Xxx

 

[Hadders]

Dear Fare Evasion Manager,

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to explain what happened on Thursday 3rd October at Gatwick Airport Station.

I was travelling from Stratford to Gatwick Airport, changing from the Lizzie Line at Farringdon Station. I used my contactless payment card for this journey, and got confused at the Farringdon barriers when making the change to the Thameslink service to get to Gatwick. In an effort to ensure I was travelling with a valid ticket and do the right thing, I took a precautionary measure and bought an E Ticket to Gatwick Airport. Once I got to Gatwick Airport, the revenue protection officer asked to scan my ticket which I showed him, and then he asked me to bring up my digital Rail card. I bought it up and showed him and he pointed out it had expired. This was news to me and I apologised to the officer and purchased a railcard in front of him, hoping to rectify the situation. He explained this was too late which I completely understood and he preceeded to take down my details.

He advised me to provide evidence of my new railcard via the thameslink website which I did immediately on 03/10/2024 but I have not heard back. My new railcard is xxxx.

I am incredibly sorry for my oversight on this occasion and it was never my intention to defraud the rail industry. I will always double check I have the right ticket going forward, and will probably always use my oyster when travelling to Gatwick.

Would you be willing to settle this matter outside of court where I can pay the outstanding fare along with the admin costs incurred?

Best,
Xxx

This is too wordy and needs making more concise. I can look at it properly later tonight, unless another forum member gets there first.

 

[osmosis2025]

This is too wordy and needs making more concise. I can look at it properly later tonight, unless another forum member gets there first.

Thank you, based on the date the letter was sent will I be okay to send it first thing tomorrow? Or is that another issue beginning

 

[notmyrealname]

This is only a minor point but is it OK to talk about the Lizzie line or should the letter use the full name?

 

[Titfield]

This is only a minor point but is it OK to talk about the Lizzie line or should the letter use the full name?

Use the correct name please. To do otherwise may suggest you are not taking the matter seriously.

 

[Hadders]

Thank you, based on the date the letter was sent will I be okay to send it first thing tomorrow? Or is that another issue beginning

1st thing tomorrow will be ok, especially as the 14 days covers the New Year period.

 

[osmosis2025]

Use the correct name please. To do otherwise may suggest you are not taking the matter seriously.

Good point both thank you!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 14 Jan 2025 ==

1st thing tomorrow will be ok, especially as the 14 days covers the New Year period.

Oh thank god thank you. I have just finished a late shift and will edit this on the laptop at home.

 

[Hadders]

I've made a few amendments to make it read a little bit better and clarified that you paid the full adult fare between Stratford and Farringdon.

Dear Fare Evasion Manager,

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to explain what happened on Thursday 3rd October at Gatwick Airport Station.

I was travelling from Stratford to Gatwick Airport, changing from the Lizzie Elizabeth Line to Thameslink at Farringdon Station. I used my contactless payment card for this journey, between Stratford and Farringdon and paid the full adult rate for this part of the journey. I was unsure if contactless could be used between Farringdon and Gatwick Airport and got confused at the Farringdon barriers when making the change to the Thameslink service to get to Gatwick. In in an effort to ensure I was travelling with a valid ticket and do the right thing, I took a precautionary measure and bought an E Ticket to between Farringdon and Gatwick Airport. Once I got to Gatwick Airport, the revenue protection officer asked to scan my ticket which I showed him, and then he asked me to bring up show my digital Railcard. I bought it up and showed him and he The revenue protection officer pointed out it had expired, which I had not realised. This was news to me and I apologised to the officer and immediately purchased a railcard in front of him, hoping in an attempt to rectify the situation. He explained this was too late which I completely understood and he preceeded to take down my details.

He advised me to provide evidence of my new railcard via the thameslink website which I did immediately on 03/10/2024 but I have not heard back. My new railcard is xxxx.

I am incredibly sorry for my oversight on this occasion and it was never my intention to defraud the rail industry. I will always double check I have the right ticket going forward. and will probably always use my oyster when travelling to Gatwick.

I wonder if you would you be willing to settle this matter outside of court where I can am willing to pay the outstanding fare along with your administration costs incurred? in dealing with this matter.

Best,Yours faithfully,
Xxx

 

[osmosis2025]

I've made a few amendments to make it read a little bit better and clarified that you paid the full adult fare between Stratford and Farringdon.

Dear Fare Evasion Manager,

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to explain what happened on Thursday 3rd October at Gatwick Airport Station.

I was travelling from Stratford to Gatwick Airport, changing from the Lizzie Elizabeth Line to Thameslink at Farringdon Station. I used my contactless payment card for this journey, between Stratford and Farringdon and paid the full adult rate for this part of the journey. I was unsure if contactless could be used between Farringdon and Gatwick Airport and got confused at the Farringdon barriers when making the change to the Thameslink service to get to Gatwick. In in an effort to ensure I was travelling with a valid ticket and do the right thing, I took a precautionary measure and bought an E Ticket to between Farringdon and Gatwick Airport. Once I got to Gatwick Airport, the revenue protection officer asked to scan my ticket which I showed him, and then he asked me to bring up show my digital Railcard. I bought it up and showed him and he The revenue protection officer pointed out it had expired, which I had not realised. This was news to me and I apologised to the officer and immediately purchased a railcard in front of him, hoping in an attempt to rectify the situation. He explained this was too late which I completely understood and he preceeded to take down my details.

He advised me to provide evidence of my new railcard via the thameslink website which I did immediately on 03/10/2024 but I have not heard back. My new railcard is xxxx.

I am incredibly sorry for my oversight on this occasion and it was never my intention to defraud the rail industry. I will always double check I have the right ticket going forward. and will probably always use my oyster when travelling to Gatwick.

I wonder if you would you be willing to settle this matter outside of court where I can am willing to pay the outstanding fare along with your administration costs incurred? in dealing with this matter.

Best,Yours faithfully,
Xxx

Thank you so much for taking the time to sort this out for me Hadders, I really appreciate it and I'm sure others on the forum do too. I hope this new year brings you all the joy and great things ♥️