This letter just came through, I can pay the fee on 16th no worries! When it comes to the other journeys I’ve travelled with my expired railcard, like I explained out of 5 of them, 2 were travelled, the other 3 just never used plans changed! I have proof I took other travelling plans. Should I go ahead and just email them this now? They said they’re going to look into my other journeys at the end so I don’t know if that’s smarter getting ahead of the curve?
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Caught with an invalid railcard, what next?
- Thread starter pwood
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I’d just wait and see what they come back to you with.
WesternLancer
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I would pay this as soon as you can and keep proof of payment and keep that long term (at least a year if not longer).
Then as advised don't contact them further unless they contact you about anything further to do with this - and if they do - however far in future that is - head back here for more advice on what best to do.
Haywain
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Gat this paid ASAP and remove the threat of prosecution. If they then come after you for the others it will be purely a civil matter.
Sounds good. It is likely they will write to you about the other journeys eventually, they’ve even told you that they will, but if you never hear anything again that would still be a helpful update for us to receive!
Fawkes Cat
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It's not quite that simple.
The six month limit* applies to criminal prosecutions under the railway acts or byelaws (because they can be heard in the magistrate's courts). Other criminal offences which can only be heard by a judge and jury in the crown court don't have such a limit.
The civil courts - which is what we would be talking about if GWR wanted to recover unpaid fares in this circumstance - do have a time limit. But it's six years rather than the six months for the magistrates' court.
*And just to add to the fun, the six months is for the prosecutor (i.e. the railway) to notify the court about a prosecution: you then need to allow time for the court to notify the accused - which is why we tend to say 'allow seven or so months from the incident' before you can be sure that you're not being prosecuted.
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