Family travelled on one tap and stopped by inspectors

[londontravel]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some advice on what the likely outcome might be.

My family and I were visiting London from overseas and genuinely misunderstood how the TfL contactless system worked. We thought that one tap with a bank card covered our family to pass through the gates, as we had seen another family do the same.

There were two adults and two children travelling, but only one tap was made. When we reached our destination, we attempted to exit with a single tap and were stopped by a TfL inspector. They explained that this was an offence and asked for my name, date of birth, and an address. As I was staying in a hotel and leaving the UK the following day, I gave the hotel address, which the inspector accepted.

The inspector wrote my details down on a piece of paper and said the matter would be reported to TfL. They also said they would note that we were unaware of the rule and were leaving the UK the next day. We asked whether we could simply tap again or pay the correct fare, but the inspector said that wasn't necessary, explaining that they were not issuing a penalty fare and were only submitting a report for TfL to decide how to proceed.

I'm now back home and wondering what usually happens in cases like this.

If this were to result in an offence, would it need to be declared when applying for a UK visa in the future?

 

[AlterEgo]

With a hotel address, nothing will happen. They may as well have the address of a pizza takeaway in Bishop Auckland for all the use it'll be to them.

 

[WesternLancer]

Hotel might forward the post on to the op if the hotel doesn’t want to deal with TfL over this?
Or might possibly give the op’s address to TfL. In theory.

I would have thought it would have been more sensible for the inspector to issue a penalty fare which you could have paid immediately and closed the matter.
Maybe the Inspector was unable to do that for some reason.

 

[AlterEgo]

Or might possibly give the op’s address to TfL. In theory.

They aren't gonna do that. What is the court going to do, issue a SJPN to Pakistan? No, this is done, they didn't take the OP's address and just accepted a hotel address, this can go no further. OP doesn't even live in this country, they are in Karachi, haha.

 

[rmHawk765]

We thought that one tap with a bank card covered our family to pass through the gates, as we had seen another family do the same.

Children under 5 travel free and can go through with an adult, that is likely why they did so.

 

[Watershed]

Just in case you visit London again, it's worth noting that children aged 0-10 don't need a ticket when travelling on TfL services (the Underground, Overground, Elizabeth line, DLR, trams and buses), provided they're accompanied by an adult.

On National Rail services children aged 0-4 travel free - though on a few routes that run parallel to the Tube in London, the TfL rule applies (i.e. up to 10 without a ticket).

Adults (aged 16+) need a ticket each and children aged 11-15 need a child-rate ticket. There are various concessions and Railcards available for children and teenagers but if you're not travelling frequently it won't be worthwhile.

Each contactless card counts as one ticket for either an adult or a child (aged 11+). So if you are a family of 2 adults and 2 children aged 5 and 7 for example, you would need to touch in with two contactless cards.

 

[londontravel]

The officer seemed considerate and he made it sound like he's doing me a favor by not giving me a penalty. He said he will report the incident to the TfL and they will decide what to do. Now that I'm reading up online it seems that penalty would have been better.

Should I contact TfL and give them my email or international address?

What's the routine procedure if a non UK resident is found in violation?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 1 Jul 2026 ==

Just in case you visit London again, it's worth noting that children aged 0-10 don't need a ticket when travelling on TfL services (the Underground, Overground, Elizabeth line, DLR, trams and buses), provided they're accompanied by an adult.

On National Rail services children aged 0-4 travel free - though on a few routes that run parallel to the Tube in London, the TfL rule applies (i.e. up to 10 without a ticket).

Adults (aged 16+) need a ticket each and children aged 11-15 need a child-rate ticket. There are various concessions and Railcards available for children and teenagers but if you're not travelling frequently it won't be worthwhile.

Each contactless card counts as one ticket for either an adult or a child (aged 11+). So if you are a family of 2 adults and 2 children aged 5 and 7 for example, you would need to touch in with two contactless cards.

Thank you. After this incident I've thoroughly read all the rules.

 

[Wilma]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some advice on what the likely outcome might be.

My family and I were visiting London from overseas and genuinely misunderstood how the TfL contactless system worked. We thought that one tap with a bank card covered our family to pass through the gates, as we had seen another family do the same.

There were two adults and two children travelling, but only one tap was made. When we reached our destination, we attempted to exit with a single tap and were stopped by a TfL inspector. They explained that this was an offence and asked for my name, date of birth, and an address. As I was staying in a hotel and leaving the UK the following day, I gave the hotel address, which the inspector accepted.

The inspector wrote my details down on a piece of paper and said the matter would be reported to TfL. They also said they would note that we were unaware of the rule and were leaving the UK the next day. We asked whether we could simply tap again or pay the correct fare, but the inspector said that wasn't necessary, explaining that they were not issuing a penalty fare and were only submitting a report for TfL to decide how to proceed.

I'm now back home and wondering what usually happens in cases like this.

If this were to result in an offence, would it need to be declared when applying for a UK visa in the future?

Respectfully, you would have known that 4 people could not travel on one bank card.
What country would possibly allow this?

What country are you from? Is it pay for one person and get 3 people free?

Reading your post, your command of English is very good and you would have known to research this before you travel and you clearly can read English.

On the bright side, it is highly u likely anything will happen to you on this occasion.

 

[Egg Centric]

The officer seemed considerate and he made it sound like he's doing me a favor by not giving me a penalty. He said he will report the incident to the TfL and they will decide what to do. Now that I'm reading up online it seems that penalty would have been better.

If you were a UK resident this would be the case. In your fortunate situation, nope. So long as you have described everything accurately and without omitting material facts (such as there being others in your party who are UK residents and whose details were taken) then there is no problem.

 

[WesternLancer]

Respectfully, you would have known that 4 people could not travel on one bank card.
What country would possibly allow this?

What country are you from? Is it pay for one person and get 3 people free?

Reading your post, your command of English is very good and you would have known to research this before you travel and you clearly can read English.

On the bright side, it is highly u likely anything will happen to you on this occasion.

OP gives location as Karachi which i believe is Pakistan

In fairness to OP when in unfamiliar surroundings it's plausible that you could notice what someone else does and just copy it (I can imagine myself doing that ) - even if you misunderstood why they might have been able to do what is described as the other family's approach to getting through the barrier line.
The OPs story is perfectly plausible to me.

 

[P Binnersley]

One person tapped in and out, paying a fare for one person; presumeably you. If the name they have is the person who tapped in and out then there is nothing they can do as tyhat person has not committed an offence. They do not have the details of the "ticketless" travellers.

 

[Mattplans]

They

Respectfully, you would have known that 4 people could not travel on one bank card.

have children in their party (who travel free in many transport systems), and they had witnessed others doing the same. I don't think it's unreasonable - arguably unwise, however - to reach the conclusion that it was allowed.

 

[WesternLancer]

The officer seemed considerate and he made it sound like he's doing me a favor by not giving me a penalty. He said he will report the incident to the TfL and they will decide what to do.

He might well have been doing you a favour if he privately knows that nothing will actually happen if he entered a hotel address on the system and noted that you were not UK citizens

Now that I'm reading up online it seems that penalty would have been better.

well it would have been a simpler way to close the matter off without further action being likely, but at a cost to you.

Should I contact TfL and give them my email or international address?

If you are minded to contact them about it (eg for your peace of mind) - we can help you with a simple letter / e-mail to send to TfL and where to send it - basically I would suggest a simple message giving your address in Pakistan should they wish to contact you further about the matter. Happy to help with a draft

What's the routine procedure if a non UK resident is found in violation?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 1 Jul 2026 ==

What TfL would or might consider as 'Mis-use of the barriers' is I think some sort of TfL offence and they might often prosecute people for it in a magistrates court - others will correct me if I have this wrong - but I think @AlterEgo is correct about what will likely happen - ie nothing

 

[ANDREW_D_WEBB]

Respectfully, you would have known that 4 people could not travel on one bank card.
What country would possibly allow this?

Public transport in Mallorca does exactly this - for up to 6 passengers on 1 card. It also has a discount applied for every passenger after the 1st one.

 

[kermit]

My family would at one point have been 2 adults and 3 children aged 11 12 and 13. Others may have yet more children with them. How does such a group travel in a contactless card system without a wallet full of separate cards?

 

[thejuggler]

Oyster cards, child bank cards, adults upload card to phone, which doubles the number of cards.

In London for the occasional short trip with 5 adults using a taxi can be a pain free solution.

 

[jumble]

The officer seemed considerate and he made it sound like he's doing me a favor by not giving me a penalty. He said he will report the incident to the TfL and they will decide what to do. Now that I'm reading up online it seems that penalty would have been better.

Should I contact TfL and give them my email or international address?

What's the routine procedure if a non UK resident is found in violation?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 1 Jul 2026 ==


Thank you. After this incident I've thoroughly read all the rules.

You are correct in that it looks like the officer was doing you a big favour and you would not have been better with a PF
As pointed out elsewhere they only took your details and you did nothing wrong having paid for your journey
My understanding is that TFL revenue policy would normally deal with this situation by giving the other adult a Penalty fare.
The inspector appears to have been quite smart by scaring you but ensuring that nothing is actually going to happen

 

[The exile]

Public transport in Mallorca does exactly this - for up to 6 passengers on 1 card. It also has a discount applied for every passenger after the 1st one.

Presumably you have to present the card once for each passenger though (or do something else to tell it there’s more than one person travelling)

 

[londontravel]

Thank you everyone for the replies and help.

It is reassuring to read that nothing troublesome is going to happen. Someone on Reddit said that an arrest warrant could be issued for not providing my real address

 

[SECR 65]

Did the inspector know that the address provided was that of the hotel where you were staying? Presumably they did?

Unless the inspector asked again for your home address in Pakistan, then I can't see that you'd be in trouble for that - you've complied with the inspector's instructions. If the inspector asked for your home address and you refused, then you would be in trouble. But it doesn't sound like this was the case.

The theoretical worst case scenario is being sent to court, convicted, and having to pay a fee / penalty (whatever it is that courts give) and that would come with a criminal record. As established, even that is unlikely. Unless there are any additional circumstances, you are not going to face any action with greater severity than that.

It is an offence to refuse to provide your address, but if you did not refuse, then you did not commit an offence.

 

[Djgr]

Presumably you have to present the card once for each passenger though (or do something else to tell it there’s more than one person travelling)

Yes indeed, as can be confirmed from their website.

 

[londonbridge]

I’m reminded of when I was on an SL7 towards Heathrow, at one stop there were a group of people waiting with suitcases, driver opened the doors, one of them walked past him and went to put a suitcase in the luggage area, saying “it’s okay, I’m just helping out”. Meanwhile the others began to board and tap, one of them said “Hey (name), there’s no money on the card”. The guy loading the cases said “it’s okay, I’ve got another one you can use”, and gave him another Oyster card. The driver said “if you’re not travelling he needs to keep the card on him”. They finished loading and said their goodbyes, the guy with no money on his original card then handed the second card back to the guy who had been loading the cases as the latter got off the bus.

The point I’m making is that some people may not realise that, generally, each person travelling must have a separate card or device, had there been an inspection the guy with no money on the card could have been charged with failing to present a ticket or validated card, even though the correct number of fares had been paid.

 

[jumble]

Did the inspector know that the address provided was that of the hotel where you were staying? Presumably they did?

Unless the inspector asked again for your home address in Pakistan, then I can't see that you'd be in trouble for that - you've complied with the inspector's instructions. If the inspector asked for your home address and you refused, then you would be in trouble. But it doesn't sound like this was the case.

The theoretical worst case scenario is being sent to court, convicted, and having to pay a fee / penalty (whatever it is that courts give) and that would come with a criminal record. As established, even that is unlikely. Unless there are any additional circumstances, you are not going to face any action with greater severity than that.

It is an offence to refuse to provide your address, but if you did not refuse, then you did not commit an offence.

What offence do you believe the OP committed ?
( for clarity I am not asking about the other adult whose details were if my understanding is correct not taken)
The children would not be prosecuted as per TFL policy

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 1 Jul 2026 ==

Thank you everyone for the replies and help.

It is reassuring to read that nothing troublesome is going to happen. Someone on Reddit said that an arrest warrant could be issued for not providing my real address

That Reddit post is full of ill informed scaremongering

 

[WesternLancer]

Did the inspector know that the address provided was that of the hotel where you were staying? Presumably they did?

Unless the inspector asked again for your home address in Pakistan, then I can't see that you'd be in trouble for that - you've complied with the inspector's instructions. If the inspector asked for your home address and you refused, then you would be in trouble. But it doesn't sound like this was the case.

The theoretical worst case scenario is being sent to court, convicted, and having to pay a fee / penalty (whatever it is that courts give) and that would come with a criminal record. As established, even that is unlikely. Unless there are any additional circumstances, you are not going to face any action with greater severity than that.

It is an offence to refuse to provide your address, but if you did not refuse, then you did not commit an offence.

I agree with all this in general terms

I can imagine the conversations can go something like:
Inspector "I need to take your name and address"
Passenger "I don't live in the UK -my address is in x country"
Inspector "I need a UK address - where are you staying in the UK"
Passenger " in a hotel - do you want that address - I can give you that"
etc etc

This must happen all the time - especially in London where there are lots of tourists who are going to be unfamiliar with the rules of the local public transport system - TfL inspectors must encounter this all the time - they must have a process.
Personally i would expect them to take the overseas address, and an e-mail if offered by the passenger, and let the back office decide what to do about it - the back office are free to send a bill or invoice / penalty charge to someone overseas that may or may not be enforceable afterwards in due course (or may or may not be worth enforcing in due course). There is a global postal service after all...

It must just as much happen on national railway system all around the country where there are lots of overseas visitors etc

Would be interested in the views of some of the staff who work as inspectors and ticket checking duties on this more generally

If I was asked for my address when I was overseas I'd give my UK address. If they then wanted an address in that country I'd have to give my hotel address.

Personally I suspect the inspectors want / are told to see a UK address because the standard process seems to be to then try and check that address of the person against some other data source - as people might be lying - whilst still in the presence of the passenger (eg electoral register or an Experian type data matching service) which you see them doing on TV programmes like 'Fare Dodgers at war with the law' but obviously if you are overseas visitor you are not going to show up on those data matching verification checks.
My limited experience of dealing with people from overseas in other capacities that involve ID checks is that they are happy to provide robust ID because most other nations require you to both have official ID and to carry it with you - unlike in the UK as we know where there is no requirement to even have ID.

 

[SECR 65]

What offence do you believe the OP committed ?
( for clarity I am not asking about the other adult whose details were if my understanding is correct not taken)
The children would not be prosecuted as per TFL policy

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 1 Jul 2026 ==


That Reddit post is full of ill informed scaremongering

I do not believe the OP has committed any offence other than travelling without a valid ticket - but if it was the OP who tapped with the card then as established above maybe no offence was committed at all.

I was simply reassuring the OP that I do not believe they will be in any trouble for not giving their home address.

 

[pedr]

Would be interested in the views of some of the staff who work as inspectors and ticket checking duties on this more generally

If I was asked for my address when I was overseas I'd give my UK address. If they then wanted an address in that country I'd have to give my hotel address.

Personally I suspect the inspectors want / are told to see a UK address because the standard process seems to be to then try and check that address of the person against some other data source - as people might be lying - whilst still in the presence of the passenger (eg electoral register or an Experian type data matching service) which you see them doing on TV programmes like 'Fare Dodgers at war with the law' but obviously if you are overseas visitor you are not going to show up on those data matching verification checks.
My limited experience of dealing with people from overseas in other capacities that involve ID checks is that they are happy to provide robust ID because most other nations require you to both have official ID and to carry it with you - unlike in the UK as we know where there is no requirement to even have ID.

I've often wondered what the response would be to a foreign resident who insisted on providing their home address and not a hotel address. After all, a hotel address is not truly 'their address' particularly if they are about to (or have already) checked out. It's not a reliable correspondence address in any sense.

 

[WesternLancer]

I've often wondered what the response would be to a foreign resident who insisted on providing their home address and not a hotel address. After all, a hotel address is not truly 'their address' particularly if they are about to (or have already) checked out. It's not a reliable correspondence address in any sense.

Yes, presumably hotels traditionally would have sent post 'return to sender' after the guest has left and some may still do so. I suspect many just put such post in the rubbish bin

 

[ANDREW_D_WEBB]

Presumably you have to present the card once for each passenger though (or do something else to tell it there’s more than one person travelling)

Present once for each passenger when boarding. Touch just once for all passengers when alighting.

 

[londonbridge]

I agree with all this in general terms

I can imagine the conversations can go something like:
Inspector "I need to take your name and address"
Passenger "I don't live in the UK -my address is in x country"
Inspector "I need a UK address - where are you staying in the UK"
Passenger " in a hotel - do you want that address - I can give you that"
etc etc

I once went on a touring holiday to the US, was given a form to fill in upon landing which included “address whilst in US”. We were arriving in Dallas and then travelling through Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, etc, before departing back to London from Atlanta. So I wrote “touring with (name of tour conpany)”. Immigration officer looked at it, made a witty joke related to the name of the company and gave me my passport back without issue.

What I’m getting at is what if you were on such a holiday, travelling across the country for several days, staying in several different hotels, and committed a local transport offence on the “day at leisure” where you weren’t tied to visiting a particular attraction for that day and could do as you wish? Would you give whichever hotel you were in at that moment?

 

[jumble]

I do not believe the OP has committed any offence other than travelling without a valid ticket - but if it was the OP who tapped with the card then as established above maybe no offence was committed at all.

I was simply reassuring the OP that I do not believe they will be in any trouble for not giving their home address.

I think we can all agree that it is extremely unlikely that anything will happen beyond the inspectors report being chucked in the nearest dustbin.
(This assumes that the inspector is even going to bother to report it)