SWR Shortfaring

[jo21]

Hi,

I was silly this morning and shortfared from Clapham Junction-Waterloo rather than my usual of Teddington-Waterloo. I haven't done this before and won't again, feel really worried. I commute 2 days a week usually buying tickets on trainline. Its the end of the month and I was just trying to save some money because I'm out of it, but appreciate this was not the way to go about this. I have a valid railcard that I use on all my journeys.
I was spoken to by a member of staff at waterloo who scanned my trainline ticket and asked where i'd come from and i stupidly said clapham and that the gate was open. He said the CCTV would be checked and investigated. He didn't take any details from me or issue me with anything. I've been trying to google and read other's experiences, will they be able to get my contact details and contact me more on this or not? I obviously won't be doing this again, but do you know whether they will be able to access my email/address from trainline to contact me?

Should I go back to waterloo later and hand myself in and hope to short it there? Would this be a smaller cost?

Sorry, and thank you for any help.

 

[AlterEgo]

do you know whether they will be able to access my email/address from trainline to contact me?

Yes, they might well do this, and can access the data from Trainline to do so.

Should I go back to waterloo later and hand myself in and hope to short it there?

No. They may or may not write to or email you. It is not in your interests to do anything else other than wait to see if they do contact you. In the meantime buy the proper fare.

 

[jo21]

Yes, they might well do this, and can access the data from Trainline to do so.


No. They may or may not write to or email you. It is not in your interests to do anything else other than wait to see if they do contact you. In the meantime buy the proper fare.

Thanks so much for the reply. I won't be doing this again, thank you.

 

[WesternLancer]

Thanks so much for the reply. I won't be doing this again, thank you.

I fully agree with the above advice - but it's vital that if they contact you that you respond (with help from here on how to reply) or otherwise it will automatically escalate to court prosecution in all likelihood.

It might take some time for them to contact you - so for at least the next 7 months keep a close eye out for hard copy post or e-mails or in spam - likely from SWR. If you receive anything head here for advice before replying.

If you move house make arrangements for your post to be forwarded (see Royal Mail website about how to do this)

After 6 months from the date of the incident it is more difficult for them to take criminal court action against you so the consequences of this decline somewhat if you have not heard by 6 months plus a few weeks.

 

[jo21]

I fully agree with the above advice - but it's vital that if they contact you that you respond (with help from here on how to reply) or otherwise it will automatically escalate to court prosecution in all likelihood.

It might take some time for them to contact you - so for at least the next 7 months keep a close eye out for hard copy post or e-mails or in spam - likely from SWR. If you receive anything head here for advice before replying.

If you move house make arrangements for your post to be forwarded (see Royal Mail website about how to do this)

After 6 months from the date of the incident it is more difficult for them to take criminal court action against you so the consequences of this decline somewhat if you have not heard by 6 months plus a few weeks.

Thank you. I am looking to move house in the next few months so will ensure i get post forwarded.

 

[WesternLancer]

Thank you. I am looking to move house in the next few months so will ensure i get post forwarded.

Good plan - check out what Royal Mail say about the notice you need to give them to set this up - SWR do often seem to e-mail but you can't rely on this to be their method. It's really important not to miss stuff and if it did get to court (hopefully it will not) that would only come hard copy post and if you ended up being prosecuted in your absence without knowing about it (which happens with these sorts of things as it's just a conveyor belt process - it's a real pain to get over turned after the event (tho there is a process were that to happen).

 

[jo21]

Would it be worth me just going back to waterloo station and seeing if i can pay to sort it on my way home from work to save missing any of this? I should have just tried to settle it this morning but i didn't realise how serious it was.

Good plan - check out what Royal Mail say about the notice you need to give them to set this up - SWR do often seem to e-mail but you can't rely on this to be their method. It's really important not to miss stuff and if it did get to court (hopefully it will not) that would only come hard copy post and if you ended up being prosecuted in your absence without knowing about it (which happens with these sorts of things as it's just a conveyor belt process - it's a real pain to get over turned after the event (tho there is a process were that to happen).

 

[WesternLancer]

Would it be worth me just going back to waterloo station and seeing if i can pay to sort it on my way home from work to save missing any of this? I should have just tried to settle it this morning but i didn't realise how serious it was.

No - that would be a waste of time (esp yours)

The only way you could pay anything would be if you had been issued a penalty fare (which you can pay on the spot or on line later) - but you were not issued with a Penalty Fare I assume?
Penalty Fares are designed for ticketing errors not deliberate fare evasion, or more complex things, or things the staff who stopped you are suspicious of and consider needing further investigation.

The staff who took your details don't take payments and don't decide what happens to cases after they have reported the details to the back office team - the back office team will work through cases by date people have been stopped, so the back office team won't get to your case for some weeks yet anyway.

And it maybe that if your details were not taken it is possible nothing will happen to you anyway - although I would assume that is relatively unlikely and not something you can actually rely on to happen unfortunately.

If you have not heard from them in about 4 months then head back here to nudge us to see if any options people here might have to suggest, so make a note of that date, and in the meantime there isn't really much you can do about this apart from buy the correct ticket in future

 

[jo21]

No - that would be a waste of time (esp yours)

The only way you could pay anything would be if you had been issued a penalty fare (which you can pay on the spot or on line later) - but you were not issued with a Penalty Fare I assume?
Penalty Fares are designed for ticketing errors not deliberate fare evasion, or more complex things, or things the staff who stopped you are suspicious of and consider needing further investigation.

The staff who took your details don't take payments and don't decide what happens to cases after they have reported the details to the back office team - the back office team will work through cases by date people have been stopped, so the back office team won't get to your case for some weeks yet anyway.

And it maybe that if your details were not taken it is possible nothing will happen to you anyway - although I would assume that is relatively unlikely and not something you can actually rely on to happen unfortunately.

If you have not heard from them in about 4 months then head back here to nudge us to see if any options people here might have to suggest, so make a note of that date, and in the meantime there isn't really much you can do about this apart from buy the correct ticket in future

Ok, thank you for the advice. when they spoke to me this morning they said i could go with them there or leave and be investigated. I presume that would have been some fine, but by the sounds of it that would have been less than what this will be when/if i hear back from them. They wouldn't tell me what the full options were though and I had to get to work so i left and they didn't take any details. I'll set a reminder for 4 months and come back then. I have never done it before and won't again. I have often had them scan my valid tickets at waterloo and wish i'd asked why so i knew they'd spot this. Thanks for your help, much apprecaited.

 

[WesternLancer]

Ok, thank you for the advice. when they spoke to me this morning they said i could go with them there or leave and be investigated. I presume that would have been some fine, but by the sounds of it that would have been less than what this will be when/if i hear back from them. They wouldn't tell me what the full options were though and I had to get to work so i left and they didn't take any details. I'll set a reminder for 4 months and come back then. I have never done it before and won't again. I have often had them scan my valid tickets at waterloo and wish i'd asked why so i knew they'd spot this. Thanks for your help, much apprecaited.

Thanks - it's hard to know what they might have meant by that to be honest (as in I've never been in that situation myself so don't know what it involves in terms of their process at the point of stopping you) - so not sure what they would have done if you had gone with them - although as a rule of thumb for future reference if you are ever offered a Penalty Fare take that offer - it's cheaper than most other things (unless your ticket turns out to be OK of course, in which case there should be no further consequences) plus it comes with a legally specified right of Appeal which being investigated does not have in quite the same way - but it's water under the bridge now.

Not exactly the best way for you to compare your situation but if you watch Channel 5 'Fare Dodgers - at War with the law' that was on last night that is filmed on SWR so lots of footage of SWR revenue staff at work showing their method of operation - not the best series on TV really - but it might allow you to compare your own experience with plenty of others featured in the programme.