SWR, questioned in Waterloo about journeys

• Origin: Kingston upon Thames to Norbiton or Surbiton to Berrylands
• Destination: Vauxhall to London Waterloo or Clapham Junction to London Waterloo

eleganturtle said:

Hi all, I am hoping for some advice regarding a letter I received from South Western Railway's Revenue Protection team approximately two weeks ago, which I only became aware of today.

On 29 December 2025 I was stopped at London Waterloo by a Revenue Protection officer. I presented a ticket from Clapham Junction to London Waterloo. I was asked where I had actually travelled from and admitted it was Esher. I was issued a Report for Prosecution on the day.

I subsequently received a letter from SWR stating they have investigated my online account and identified what they describe as inconsistencies in my ticket purchase history going back to 10 July 2024. They note that ticket scan data shows tickets were only scanned at one end of journeys. They have also noted tickets between London Waterloo, Vauxhall and Clapham Junction that were not scanned in or out. They are asking me to explain my journeys and whether I also travelled from Esher on those occasions.

On most journeys I purchased two tickets — a short ticket at the origin station and a short ticket at the destination, with the middle section of the journey not covered. The journeys were primarily between the Kingston upon Thames (KNG)/Surbiton (SUR) area and London Waterloo (WAT). The tickets held were typically:

• Origin: Kingston upon Thames to Norbiton or Surbiton to Berrylands
• Destination: Vauxhall to London Waterloo or Clapham Junction to London Waterloo

There were approximately 26 journeys in total flagged within this period that I have calculated myself, this number may not be accurate.
I hold a valid 16-25 railcard. I am currently 21. All tickets were purchased using this railcard via Trainline prior to journeys commencing.

I have sent an acknowledgement email to SWR stating I am seeking legal advice before responding fully and have provided my contact details as requested. I am currently in the process of consulting a solicitor and I am wondering whether the cost of the solicitor is worth the amount of risk of me handling this myself.

I would like to resolve this as a civil out of court settlement, paying any outstanding fares owed, and avoid criminal prosecution.
I am unsure how to respond to SWR's request for journey explanations, how the charges would be calculated and whether a solicitor is necessary given the relatively small number of journeys involved. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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WesternLancer said:

welcome - classic 'doughnut' fare evasion with digital fingerprints left behind that are easy for SWR to follow

If you want to consider using a solicitor it is strongly recommended that you use one that is experienced in handling fare evasion work - there are several firms that get mentioned on this forum with that expertise - seek quotes from them - but probably their costs would be at least £600 in legal fees. Ask if you need the names of the firms.

Alternatively there are plenty if cases on here of people doing exactly what you have done and resolving it themselves - search 'Vauxhall' on the forum search engine for this part of the forum and you will find examples, won't take you long to work out if you have the skills necessary to resolve this without a solicitor's help, or you could at least attempt to try to do that in the first instance, and if that does not work then you could perhaps engage a solicitor.

As to how much risk is at stake it probably depends on what the impact would be if it went to court and you received a criminal record (which you would be ifd this went to court as they have the one incident they stopped you for which is all they need to bring a prosecution) - that would depend on the nature of your work and career plans probably - but most people would rather be without any sort of criminal record that have such a record.

If you have had their letter for 2 weeks you will need to act promptly now - but at least you have sent them some sort of reply.

The general advice often given on here will give you an idea of what you need to do if you want to handle it yourself - you are of course part way through the process described below - but here is that advice:

---------------------------------------

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 / fares owed, 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 / travel they have detected at the full Anytime rate with no credit given for the invalid ticket(s) 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.

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Ask any other questions you want clarification on - people here will know the answers

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WesternLancer said:

welcome - classic 'doughnut' fare evasion with digital fingerprints left behind that are easy for SWR to follow

If you want to consider using a solicitor it is strongly recommended that you use one that is experienced in handling fare evasion work - there are several firms that get mentioned on this forum with that expertise - seek quotes from them - but probably their costs would be at least £600 in legal fees. Ask if you need the names of the firms.

Alternatively there are plenty if cases on here of people doing exactly what you have done and resolving it themselves - search 'Vauxhall' on the forum search engine for this part of the forum and you will find examples, won't take you long to work out if you have the skills necessary to resolve this without a solicitor's help, or you could at least attempt to try to do that in the first instance, and if that does not work then you could perhaps engage a solicitor.

As to how much risk is at stake it probably depends on what the impact would be if it went to court and you received a criminal record (which you would be ifd this went to court as they have the one incident they stopped you for which is all they need to bring a prosecution) - that would depend on the nature of your work and career plans probably - but most people would rather be without any sort of criminal record that have such a record.

If you have had their letter for 2 weeks you will need to act promptly now - but at least you have sent them some sort of reply.

The general advice often given on here will give you an idea of what you need to do if you want to handle it yourself - you are of course part way through the process described below - but here is that advice:

---------------------------------------

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 / fares owed, 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 / travel they have detected at the full Anytime rate with no credit given for the invalid ticket(s) 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.

-------------------------

Ask any other questions you want clarification on - people here will know the answers

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eleganturtle said:

I have found one that is specialised in fare evasions as you have said, they have quoted £200 for a consultation and £600 for representation. Would it be wise to take the consultation anyway or would they give me the same information that these forums do. I'm also seeking advice on how to explain my journeys to them, as stated in the thread I had an entry ticket and exit ticket for most journeys, would they calculate this as one missed journey and charge accordingly? They are also being vague as to what they want me to explain so I'm not sure what to say. This is a part of the email I received. What would be an appropriate response now?

On the 29th of December 2025, you presented ticket number at London Waterloo to a member of Revenue Protection.
Upon questioning, you were asked to provide a valid ticket for the journey you had made. You showed a ticket from Clapham Junction to London Waterloo, that was not validated at Clapham Junction. When asked where you had actually travelled from, you admitted Esher.
You were issued a Report for Prosecution
Further investigation of your online account has highlighted other potential inconsistencies in your ticket purchase history.
This suggests that you may not be paying the correct fare for journeys made on the UK rail network.
Given the serious nature of this matter, we have taken this step to contact you and initiate a resolution, prior to escalating the matter to our case management team.
Our records show that you have purchased and used many similar tickets since 10th of July 2024. Ticket scan data shows that these tickets were only scanned in at one end of each journey. Many of these days also had tickets from London Waterloo to Vauxhall, Vauxhall to Clapham Junction and Clapham Junction to London Waterloo and vice versa, which were not scanned in or out.
Please explain the journeys you made on these days, where did you travel from, was it also Esher?

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eleganturtle said:

Because I had seen it late I sent this email just to let them know that I've acknowledged it.

"Thank you for your follow-up email, I only recently came across your correspondence and want to assure you that I am taking this matter very seriously.

I am currently seeking legal advice so that I can respond to you properly and in full. I did not want to leave your letter without acknowledgement in the meantime, as I am keen to resolve this matter as quickly and cooperatively as possible, including with regards to any outstanding charges.

I will be in contact with a full response very shortly."

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eleganturtle said:

What's the next move? Ask for all the suspicious journeys first while also apologising and reiterating that I won't do this again?

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eleganturtle said:

I have not received a letter, I only received an email as I panicked and said the wrong address at first and then tried to email them afterwards to apologise and correct my mistake.

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eleganturtle said:

Of course they've asked for my details again in this email so it is correct

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eleganturtle said:

Because I had seen it late I sent this email just to let them know that I've acknowledged it.

"Thank you for your follow-up email, I only recently came across your correspondence and want to assure you that I am taking this matter very seriously.

I am currently seeking legal advice so that I can respond to you properly and in full. I did not want to leave your letter without acknowledgement in the meantime, as I am keen to resolve this matter as quickly and cooperatively as possible, including with regards to any outstanding charges.

I will be in contact with a full response very shortly."

What's the next move? Ask for all the suspicious journeys first while also apologising and reiterating that I won't do this again? I have not received a letter, I only received an email as I panicked and said the wrong address at first and then tried to email them afterwards to apologise and correct my mistake. Of course they've asked for my details again in this email so it is correct now.

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• Start by thanking them for their email and clearly stating the date of their email.
• identify the specific incident they're referring to, including the date of travel and the stations involved – also use any reference number they have issued on any paperwork you have

• Clearly state that you fully accept responsibility for not having a valid ticket for your entire journey (they know this anyway, your probably admitted it on the day to the inspector)
• Accept that this was not the first time you have travelled without a valid ticket for your journey

• State that you deeply regret your actions
• That this is unfair on other passengers and the taxpayer that funds the railway more generally
• You now realise the seriousness of what you have done (ie potential court action and conviction), and would like to have the chance to put things right

• Clearly state that you hope to resolve this matter through an out-of-court settlement. This signals your intention to avoid court proceedings.
• Confirm your willingness to pay any outstanding fare(s) for the travel in question and to cover their administration costs.
• Conclude by asking what further information or action they require from you to facilitate this resolution.
• Ask them for a list of other occasions when they believe you travelled without a valid ticket so that you can check this and help them conclude their investigation in the hope that will help them so that the matter can be resolved without the need for court action

eleganturtle said:

In order to help settle this matter, I would be grateful if you could provide me with a list of the occasions on which you believe I travelled without a valid ticket, these were definitely not from Esher.

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Haywain said:

What does this mean? How can you say the journeys were not from Esher before you see a list of such journeys?

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eleganturtle said:

the only journey i had from esher was the one i got stopped on, others were along the same line but were more from surbiton

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eleganturtle said:

I've sent the email now, I'll update with the response when I receive it. Thank you!!

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

This is the response I received.

Thank you for your email.

As stated previously, we are currently investigating your case, involving your travel from Esher to London Waterloo Railway Stations on the 29th of December 2025.

As part of this investigation, we possess the authority, in accordance with the Railway Byelaws, to scrutinize all tickets purchased and used on the South Western Railway network if we suspect that an offence has taken place.

On the day in question, you were asked to provide a valid ticket for the journey you had made. You showed a ticket from Clapham Junction to London Terminals but admitted to the member of Revenue Protection that you had travelled from Esher.

Our records show that you have purchased and used many similar tickets since 2024. Ticket scan data shows that these tickets were only scanned in at one end of each journey. Many of these days also had tickets from London Waterloo to Vauxhall, Vauxhall to Clapham Junction and Clapham Junction to London Waterloo and vice versa, which were not scanned in or out.

We have attached pre-court partial disclosure which includes your Trainline ticket purchase history.

Please explain the journeys you made on these days, where did you travel from.

We have highlighted the suspicious journeys in pink, and these are numbered in the first column. This provides you with an opportunity to give an accurate account for each journey, specifying the start and finish rail stations and whether the journey was a single or return. Please complete columns ACTUAL ORIGIN, ACTUAL DESTINATION. Column O and P.

The row highlighted in blue is the day you were spoken to by a member of Revenue Protection. For this date, I have filled in the Disclosure Document to show Esher to London Waterloo for that specific ticket.

We have also added in column Q a customer comment section, if you feel the need to explain or provide any further comments, please fill that out..

We kindly request that you respond within 7 days of receiving this email.

It is our hope that with your assistance that we can work towards a resolution and if you have any questions or concerns about any of this, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.

Thank you for your cooperation in this matter and I look forward to your prompt response.

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eleganturtle said:

Update - this is the next email.


Thank you for your email and for returning the document filled out.

We have now completed our enquiries and shared our findings with our Debt Recovery & Prosecutions Team.

You will be contacted informing you of the decision in relation to your case.

If you have any questions prior to receiving correspondence from the Debt Recovery & Prosecutions Team, please contact me directly.

Once you have received your correspondence, please reach out to the Debt Recovery & Prosecutions Team if you have any questions.

Any further correspondence will be from our Debt Recovery & Prosecutions Team; you can contact them on tel: 0330 095 0153 or email: prosecutions@swrailway.com.

Unfortunately, we cannot give a specific timeframe on when you will be contacted, as the team are dealing with a high volume of cases. However, if you require any information, please let me know.

Thank you for your cooperation.

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