What to do next RFP SWRailway

[OllieReedKRB]

Hi all,

Last year I was stopped at Waterloo. My journey was Brentford to London Bridge via Waterloo. I was stopped for ‘short fair’ing and after 5 months they have emailed me and told me they have looked into my account and seen irregularities. In all honesty, for around 3 months (due to financial restrain, which I know is not a valid excuse but just for your context) I short Faired from Queenstown Road Battersea to London Bridge rather than Brentford to London Bridge. Knowing this was going to come up, I changed job and I have actually saved up the money to pay them back, but please see attached the email sent to me this morning and please best advise how to respond as I know that I have done wrong and that I am very regretful

Thanks so much

 

[WesternLancer]

Welcome to the forum

The general advice often given here will be of help to you in seeing how best to respond - I have copied this below.

Of course you are part way through the process that is outlined and they indicate they have detected previous suspicious activity on your account - so I suspect there is no point in responding to them (as per advice in the below) without also mentioning that too.

What is usually advised for that from here is to say for example that

'you regret that there may have been occasions in the past where I had not always paid the correct fare. I am keen to resolve this and if SWR would be able to send me a copy of occasions when you think there are inconsistencies I will do my best to check my own travel records against a list as I would like to co-operate to resolve this without the need for court action'
or some such wording.

And here's the general advice for you to look over:

Firstly, you committed a criminal offence by travelling with an invalid ticket and railway companies are entitled to prosecute you in the Magistrates Court if they want to. The good news is they will normally offer an out of court settlement to people who co-operate with them and who haven't come to their attention before.

Next, what happens is the railway company will write to you. The letter will go to the address that you gave them / on any of your ID they checked so you need to be able to access hard copy post at that address as they often send things that way (but also check e-mail and spam). It is extremely important that you reply, and you'll only have a limited time to do so (often 14 days from the date on their communication).

When you receive the letter post a redacted copy of it in this thread, along with your draft reply and forum members will proof read it for you. You'll find lots of example letters you can use in this section of the forum but the reply basically needs to mention:

- That you are sorry for what has happened
- What you have learned from the incident and will not do this again
- That you are keen to settle the matter without the need for court action
- Offer to pay the outstanding fare and the railway company’s administrative costs in dealing with the matter

The railway will probably offer you an out of court settlement. Expect to have to pay the cost of the fare for the journey you made at the full Anytime rate with no credit given for the invalid ticket you purchased. In addition they will charge an admin fee, typically £150. They will also audit your online ticket purchase history and if this shows you've purchased other tickets that were not valid (eg railcard discounted tickets when you did not have a valid railcard, or tickets for only part of the journey, or tickets bought after boarding the train you travelled on ) they will probably factor the cost of these journeys into the settlement offer. Depending on how many journeys you've made over the period concerned this could end up being expensive.

Settlements usually have to be paid in full within a few days of them being offered so if money is tight you might want to think about how you will raise the sum required at short notice.

 

[OllieReedKRB]

Welcome to the forum

The general advice often given here will be of help to you in seeing how best to respond - I have copied this below.

Of course you are part way through the process that is outlined and they indicate they have detected previous suspicious activity on your account - so I suspect there is no point in responding to them (as per advice in the below) without also mentioning that too.

What is usually advised for that from here is to say for example that

'you regret that there may have been occasions in the past where I had not always paid the correct fare. I am keen to resolve this and if SWR would be able to send me a copy of occasions when you think there are inconsistencies I will do my best to check my own travel records against a list as I would like to co-operate to resolve this without the need for court action'
or some such wording.

And here's the general advice for you to look over:

Firstly, you committed a criminal offence by travelling with an invalid ticket and railway companies are entitled to prosecute you in the Magistrates Court if they want to. The good news is they will normally offer an out of court settlement to people who co-operate with them and who haven't come to their attention before.

Next, what happens is the railway company will write to you. The letter will go to the address that you gave them / on any of your ID they checked so you need to be able to access hard copy post at that address as they often send things that way (but also check e-mail and spam). It is extremely important that you reply, and you'll only have a limited time to do so (often 14 days from the date on their communication).

When you receive the letter post a redacted copy of it in this thread, along with your draft reply and forum members will proof read it for you. You'll find lots of example letters you can use in this section of the forum but the reply basically needs to mention:

- That you are sorry for what has happened
- What you have learned from the incident and will not do this again
- That you are keen to settle the matter without the need for court action
- Offer to pay the outstanding fare and the railway company’s administrative costs in dealing with the matter

The railway will probably offer you an out of court settlement. Expect to have to pay the cost of the fare for the journey you made at the full Anytime rate with no credit given for the invalid ticket you purchased. In addition they will charge an admin fee, typically £150. They will also audit your online ticket purchase history and if this shows you've purchased other tickets that were not valid (eg railcard discounted tickets when you did not have a valid railcard, or tickets for only part of the journey, or tickets bought after boarding the train you travelled on ) they will probably factor the cost of these journeys into the settlement offer. Depending on how many journeys you've made over the period concerned this could end up being expensive.

Settlements usually have to be paid in full within a few days of them being offered so if money is tight you might want to think about how you will raise the sum required at short notice.

Thank you, below is what I have written with your advise please let me know of any changes



I am writing in response to the recent incident and to express my sincere regret for travelling without holding a valid ticket for the full journey. I fully accept that purchasing tickets to cover only part of my journey was wrong, and I take full responsibility for my actions.

I also regret that there may have been occasions in the past where I did not always pay the correct fare. I am keen to resolve this matter fully and cooperatively. If South Western Railway is able to provide details of any occasions where you believe there may be inconsistencies, I will do my best to check these against my own travel records so that this can be resolved without the need for court action.

Having reflected on this, I understand the seriousness of my actions and recognise that it was a poor decision. I have learned a clear lesson from this experience, and I can assure you that it will not happen again. Although I was experiencing financial difficulties while caring for my partner, I understand that this does not excuse purchasing incorrect tickets for any journey.

I have taken this matter seriously and have reflected not only on my own actions, but also on the impact fare evasion has on train operators and the wider burden it places on honest passengers and the railway.
I am very keen to resolve this matter without the need for court proceedings. I would be grateful if you could let me know the outstanding fare for the full journey, along with any reasonable administrative costs incurred, and I am willing to settle these promptly.

Once again, I am genuinely sorry for my actions and for any inconvenience caused. Thank you for taking the time to consider my response.

 

[WesternLancer]

I would be grateful if you could let me know the outstanding fare for the full journey, along with any reasonable administrative costs incurred, and I am willing to settle these promptly.

Looking pretty good to me
BUT one suggestion ref this bit:

I would be grateful if you could let me know the outstanding fare for the full journey, along with any reasonable administrative costs incurred, and I am willing to settle these promptly.

I don't think you want to be saying exactly this at a stage before you have actually been able to check the travel irregularities list they have, which you are asking for earlier in the same reply as it were - you need to indicate you will pay them, but you don't yet agree with what they say you owe because you don't know what that is yet - if that makes sense

I'd suggest replace it with something like:

'I would be prepared to pay for outstanding fares owed along with any reasonable administrative costs incurred, and I am willing to settle these promptly.'

But if you don't have to send it today then wait at least 24 hours to see if others here suggest other changes.

 

[OllieReedKRB]

Looking pretty good to me
BUT one suggestion ref this bit:

I would be grateful if you could let me know the outstanding fare for the full journey, along with any reasonable administrative costs incurred, and I am willing to settle these promptly.

I don't think you want to be saying exactly this at a stage before you have actually been able to check the travel irregularities list they have, which you are asking for earlier in the same reply as it were - you need to indicate you will pay them, but you don't yet agree with what they say you owe because you don't know what that is yet - if that makes sense

I'd suggest replace it with something like:

'I would be prepared to pay for outstanding fares owed along with any reasonable administrative costs incurred, and I am willing to settle these promptly.'

But if you don't have to send it today then wait at least 24 hours to see if others here suggest other changes.

Thank you so much, I have now replaced it and looking at other threads your advice has been perfect. Again, very aware of what I’ve done wrong and just want this stage of my life over now, so fingers crossed it’s settled out of court, thanks for all of your help. I will post an update in here once I have received it

 

[AlterEgo]

What have you actually received from them? There is nothing attached in your original post.

 

[OllieReedKRB]

What have you actually received from them? There is nothing attached in your original post.

Sorry, I removed it due to not blocking out some personal details. Please see attached

 

[AlterEgo]

At this stage I would simply reply with your personal details; they haven't asked for your version of events yet. You should only supply answers to what is asked of you. Later, they will email you with a spreadsheet and you will get an opportunity then to accept or refute any wrongdoing on a ticket-by-ticket basis.

 

[WesternLancer]

At this stage I would simply reply with your personal details; they haven't asked for your version of events yet. You should only supply answers to what is asked of you. Later, they will email you with a spreadsheet and you will get an opportunity then to accept or refute any wrongdoing on a ticket-by-ticket basis.

This is also good plan - I'd not noticed this - OP can then save the draft worked on for the next stage

 

[OllieReedKRB]

Hi all, just wanted to provide an update so far and see if I could ask another opinion.

After receiving the email I replied with what I did and I was sent through with basically all of the journeys, it’s about 80 return journeys etc and I admitted to all of them and sent back the spreadsheet they sent and there’s only 1 I disputed as it was legit but I told them the reason etc.

The gent I was emailing was thanking me for my cooperation and the speediness etc. I have not dragged my feet at all, even though this did happen 5 and a half months ago, once this happened I wanted to make sure I was super quick, thorough, apologetic with everything.

From here I now am waiting, from any experience that anyone has, how likely do you think an out of court settlement will be after cooperating fully etc

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 27 Apr 2026 ==

Hi all, just wanted to provide an update so far and see if I could ask another opinion.

After receiving the email I replied with what I did and I was sent through with basically all of the journeys, it’s about 80 return journeys etc and I admitted to all of them and sent back the spreadsheet they sent and there’s only 1 I disputed as it was legit but I told them the reason etc.

The gent I was emailing was thanking me for my cooperation and the speediness etc. I have not dragged my feet at all, even though this did happen 5 and a half months ago, once this happened I wanted to make sure I was super quick, thorough, apologetic with everything.

From here I now am waiting, from any experience that anyone has, how likely do you think an out of court settlement will be after cooperating fully etc

Sorry to be clear, I was caught 5 and a half months ago, but they only just emailed me last week regarding the incident and to clear it up

 

[SECR 65]

After receiving the email I replied with what I did and I was sent through with basically all of the journeys, it’s about 80 return journeys etc and I admitted to all of them and sent back the spreadsheet they sent and there’s only 1 I disputed as it was legit but I told them the reason etc.

They should believe this if it was a legitimate journey.

The gent I was emailing was thanking me for my cooperation and the speediness etc. I have not dragged my feet at all, even though this did happen 5 and a half months ago, once this happened I wanted to make sure I was super quick, thorough, apologetic with everything.

From here I now am waiting, from any experience that anyone has, how likely do you think an out of court settlement will be after cooperating fully etc

SWR are almost always happy to settle out of court. They are unlikely to prosecute you seeing as you are cooperating and this is the first time that you have come to their attention.

 

[OllieReedKRB]

Hey all,

Wanted to share an update and gain any advice for what people think it looks like may happen next. I have been corresponding fully and received this today

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Hey all,

Wanted to share an update and gain any advice for what people think it looks like may happen next. I have been corresponding fully and received this today

That's a holding response to tell you they have your most recent letter. All you need to do now is wait for them to write to you again.

 

[OllieReedKRB]

Hi all,

I am here with an update as I know lots of people do not update. After making MANY silly decisions, I was caught short fairing and waiting 5 1/2 months to be contacted by SWRailway. Today I can confirm that I settled out of court, it seems as though I did get off lucky as they charged me the cost of what I DIDNT pay, I thought I’d be paying around £1300, I was fined £650. It has all been paid and closed.

For anybody who is thinking of short fairing, don’t do it, whether we agree with prices, services etc. the price is there for a reason. This ruined 6 months of my life and it was my fault.

When they come to you either whilst being caught or when they complete their investigation, co-operate fully. Be honest as even the smallest of lies will be found out. My reasons for doing what I did, do not matter in the eyes of the law, as it is always black & white. Being as cooperative as I was, I believe that is what got me off, in my opinion, lightly. Please see attached the latter I received confirming the outcomes.

If anybody has any questions, please feel free to message me for advice. But it will be the same as what I’ve said, don’t lie, cooperate fully and save money so when they come with the fine, you can pay it fully.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 29 May 2026 ==

I also want to thank everyone on this thread who helped me. You are a massive credit! Couldn’t have done it without you all, your advise is much appreciated

 

[SECR 65]

Thank you for coming back to update us. That's really good that you've managed to settle. You're very welcome for our help! Your words of wisdom to others who find themselves in similar situations will I'm sure be very helpful for advising others in the future.

Make sure you keep a record of payment for the settlement.