Chiltern railways - invalid ticket help

[zabaja]

Hi, all. Firstly would like to say that i understand the foolishness of my past actions and regret them.

I have just received the attached letter in the post. I’m seeking guidance on how best to respond in order to avoid a criminal record and ideally reach an out-of-court settlement.

To explain the situation: I had purchased a child ticket from station X to station Y before traveling to visit a friend in location Y. Unfortunately, I missed my stop and, I bought another child ticket from location Y to Z (which was just further along the same service), believing it would be valid for the remainder of the journey. However, when the ticket inspector scanned the second ticket, they noted it had been purchased after departure and was therefore not valid for this reason. I then provided my name and address when asked.

At the time, I panicked and made a poor decision regarding my age. I deeply regret this, as well as previous occasions when I have underpaid fares. I now fully recognise the seriousness of my actions and have since purchased and used a 16–25 railcard appropriately to ensure I travel within the rules. This was my first time ever being stopped and failing to show a valid ticket

I would be extremely grateful for any advice on how to respond to Chiltern railways in a way that takes responsibility without worsening the legal situation. Additionally, I would appreciate guidance on whether I should write the letter myself or if it would be more appropriate for a parent to respond on my behalf, as Chiltern currently seems to expect. However i am worried that if my parents write it, it is reinforcing a dishonest narrative that i am still a child.


I am very anxious about the potential consequences, particularly the risk of receiving a criminal record, which could severely impact my future as I plan to go to university. I sincerely want to resolve this matter and make amends, and appreciate your help.


Thank you very much for your time and help.

 

[Haywain]

How old are you? If you are 18 or over you need to deal with yourself as you are an adult.

 

[zabaja]

i am now 18 yes and recently 18 at time of being stopped

 

[Hadders]

Welcome to the forum!

Based on what you'e told us it looks like you've been doughnutting - purchasing a short distance ticket to get through the barriers at each end of your journey but leaving a gaping gap in the middle. This is a criminal offence and Chiltern are entitled to prosecute you in the Magistrates Cuort if they want to.

The good news is they will normally offier an out of court settlement to people who co-operste with them and who haven't come to their attention before. I suggest mentioning the following in your reply:

- That you are sorry for what has happened
- What you have learned from the incident
- That you are keen to settle the matter without the need for court action
- Offer to pay the outstanding fare and the train company's administrative costs in dealing with the matter

If you pop a draft of your reply in this thread forume members will proof read it for you.

If you are offered a settlement expect to have to pay the cost of the fare avoided at the full Anytime rate, with no credit given for the invalid tickets you did ourchase. In addition they will charge an admin fee, normally £150. Be aware that they will search your online ticket purchaisng history abd if this indicates you have done this before they will factor the cost of those journeys into the settlement amount. The settlement will need to be paid in full within a few days of it being offered, payment in installe=menyts isn't normally allowed. Paying an out of court settlement mighy feel like paying a fine, but it isn't and you won't have a criminal record as a result of paying one.

 

[Haywain]

i am now 18 yes

In which case you should deal with this, you will find examples on the forum of what you need to write. If you compose a draft and post it here we can help you get the right wording.

 

[zabaja]

Welcome to the forum!

Based on what you'e told us it looks like you've been doughnutting - purchasing a short distance ticket to get through the barriers at each end of your journey but leaving a gaping gap in the middle. This is a criminal offence and Chiltern are entitled to prosecute you in the Magistrates Cuort if they want to.

The good news is they will normally offier an out of court settlement to people who co-operste with them and who haven't come to their attention before. I suggest mentioning the following in your reply:

- That you are sorry for what has happened
- What you have learned from the incident
- That you are keen to settle the matter without the need for court action
- Offer to pay the outstanding fare and the train company's administrative costs in dealing with the matter

If you pop a draft of your reply in this thread forume members will proof read it for you.

If you are offered a settlement expect to have to pay the cost of the fare avoided at the full Anytime rate, with no credit given for the invalid tickets you did ourchase. In addition they will charge an admin fee, normally £150. Be aware that they will search your online ticket purchaisng history abd if this indicates you have done this before they will factor the cost of those journeys into the settlement amount. The settlement will need to be paid in full within a few days of it being offered, payment in installe=menyts isn't normally allowed. Paying an out of court settlement mighy feel like paying a fine, but it isn't and you won't have a criminal record as a result of paying one.

i appreciate your insight, will make a draft now. Should i write that i am 18 and in fact lied to the officer when asked for my age and apologise or avoid addressing this?

 

[Hadders]

Nothing wrong with saying you're 18, and if you were 17 when you were caught it might be worth mentioning that. Pop a draft in here and we can assist with amendments.

 

[AlterEgo]

The OP says they lied about their age when stopped, so they should address this.

 

[zabaja]

Firstly do you recommend i contact a solicitor on something like this to ensure I secure an out-of-court settlement. One has quoted me 600£ or 720£ if i need to fill a spreadsheet?

Also, here is a draft for Chiltern railways , I'd appreciate advice on how to improve. Does this well address the issues in the mail and my situation above? Thanks:

Subject: Customer reference xxxxxxx

To the Fraud & Protections unit at Chiltern Railways,

I am emailing you today in response to a letter dated xxth April 2025.

Firstly, I would like to apologise and fully understand the seriousness of what I have done in the past. I fully accept the consequences of my actions and hope as a young individual in schooling, am able and given the opportunity to close this matter via a full and final payment as part of an out-of-court settlement for all my errors, taking a valuable life lesson forward. I assure you that since the incident I have purchased and been using the 16-25 railcard appropriately and will continue to do so.

On this day, I had boarded the train without purchasing a valid ticket in advance and bought a child fare after departure, which I now recognise is unacceptable and apologise for. When asked for my age, in a flustered state, I regretfully lied and gave the age of 15, when in fact I had recently turned 18. I am genuinely remorseful for this. I can assure you that this will not be repeated as I purchase the correct rail fares

I also understand from the letter that you are aware of my past wrongdoings in purchasing invalid tickets. At the time, I did not fully understand the seriousness of these actions, but now fully accept that such avoidance of correct fair evasion is wrong, and I am truly sorry for the disruption and damage my actions have caused to both the company and its employees.

I kindly ask that you consider my request with understanding, as I am due to sit my A-Level examinations in the coming weeks and will also be attending my grandfather’s funeral. Any court proceedings at this time would place immense strain on me and could significantly affect my future opportunities. Thank you for taking the time to consider my message, and I would be grateful for the opportunity to put my mistakes right.

Your Sincerely,
[fullname]
[address]
[reference no.]

 

[zabaja]

i must regretfully add that i have been doing this for some time, so how should i address this

 

[Pushpit]

i must regretfully add that i have been doing this for some time, so how should i address this

You - or perhaps ChatGPT - did in the paragraph starting "I also understand from the letter...". It's correctly written but a bit discursive compared to other sections of the letter. Maybe re-write that to use more simple English, accepting that their letter was correct that this wasn't your first offence. Also you can perhaps link back to the newly acquired railcard as evidence of future performance, in the previous paragraph, which is otherwise missing the final full stop - so "I now purchase the correct rail fares with my new railcard". I'm not sure the funeral and A levels will do much more than an eye roll at Chiltern Towers but it does no harm and it's clearly your own wording. Otherwise it gets the message across, engages with the letter, shows remorse and provides some evidence that you won't repeat this in the future.

 

[zabaja]

I greatly appreciate your time to help me. After having made said changes, do you think that I would have a worthy chance at an out-of-court settlement or take the safer , but more expensive route with a solicitor?

Thanks

 

[Pushpit]

I greatly appreciate your time to help me. After having made said changes, do you think that I would have a worthy chance at an out-of-court settlement or take the safer , but more expensive route with a solicitor?

Thanks

Typically these sorts of cases are best handled directly, certainly at this stage. There are sometimes good reason for using solicitors, but on the information provided so far, this does not seem to apply here. If Chiltern won't offer an out of court settlement then that may change the issue. Typically it costs around £500 to £1,000 to get a solicitor and I imagine if you had that sort of spare cash you wouldn't be evading fares.

 

[zabaja]

alright, thank you. So just to make sure, i should send the above email with the changes you have suggested, having considered a) i have deliberately been doing this for some time, and b) i lied about my age initially. In the hopes that i am charged an admin fee and all the correct versions of fares i have short-fared or child ticketed.
@Pushpit @AlterEgo @Hadders @Haywain @30907

Thanks, and once again really appreciate your assistance

 

[30907]

Could I suggest that your first sentence should reference your parent.

"I am emailing you today in response to a letter dated xxth April 2025 addressed to my parent NN. I am replying on my own behalf as I am actually 18; I claimed to be 15 at the time, which was a lie and for which I apologise."

You can then cut/edit the equivalent sentence later on.

 

[zabaja]

I see, thank you for this advice

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 3 May 2025 ==

alright, thank you. So just to make sure, i should send the above email with the changes you have suggested, having considered a) i have deliberately been doing this for some time, and b) i lied about my age initially. In the hopes that i am charged an admin fee and all the correct versions of fares i have short-fared or child ticketed.
@Pushpit @AlterEgo @Hadders @Haywain @30907

Thanks, and once again really appreciate your assistance

anybody?

sorry if i am pestering im just worried

 

[Pushpit]

anybody?

sorry if i am pestering im just worried

Apart from the changes already suggested I don't think you need say anything more. Chiltern tend to move quite slowly so I wouldn't expect a fast response.

 

[zabaja]

ok thanks for all the help

Apart from the changes already suggested I don't think you need say anything more. Chiltern tend to move quite slowly so I wouldn't expect a fast response.