Our new ticketing site is now live! Using either this or the original site (both powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!
I've received a notice of intention to prosecute letter in the post. I was confused about next steps so even though my ticket wasn't valid (child's instead of adult) I uploaded evidence on the link provided and explained very briefly it was a mistake.
Now I'm reading through these posts I think I should have appealed and offered to pay a fine by sending a letter.
I've never been asked to pay a fine, even though offering twice at the station.
I'm wondering if I should send a letter to help my case? I submitted online evidence a week ago.
Did it include all the points which @Hadders suggests you should put in response to a Notice to Prosecute?
- 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 not then I would suggest sending a supplementary submission covering all the points.
Please post a draft here (with any identifying details obscured) so forum members can evaluate it.
A few other minor points as it helps to understand the terminology and procedures used.
(1) Penalty fares are issued at the time of the offence. They can not be issued after the event (retrospectively). Penalty fares can be appealed.
(2) Fines are only issued by a court after legal proceedings. (A penalty fare may look like a fine but strictly speaking it is not)
(3) The Train Operating Company will decide whether to (a) do nothing - very unlikely (b) make an offer of an out of court settlement for the fare avoided plus an admin fee of between £150 - £200 (c) prosecute you in court where the financial penalty from being convicted will be higher and you will get a criminal record.
If you cooperate with them then there is a good probability they will offer you an out of court settlement. When they calculate the fare due they take the full anytime single fare and disregard any fares already paid. They will use the ticket you presented to research your booking history and see if you have done this before. Any out of court settlement offer will reflect this.
Transport for London (TfL) do not follow the above. They do not offer out of court settlements but proceed to court other than in exceptional circumstances.
I've received a notice of intention to prosecute letter in the post. I was confused about next steps so even though my ticket wasn't valid (child's instead of adult) I uploaded evidence on the link provided and explained very briefly it was a mistake.
We need to know more about what happened and when in order to give appropriate advice, as well as seeing the correspondence you received and your reply and the 'evidence' you uploaded.
Hey, thank you for your reply! The link itself only allowd room for a ticket to be uploaded and a very small comment box, it specifically asks not to include appeal information.
My letter draft is here:
I am writing in response to your letter dated 31st April regarding my journey on 23rd January from Stevenage to St Pancras.
Since receiving your letter, I have uploaded the ticket I purchased using the link provided, but I also wanted to write to you directly to express my sincere apologies and explain what happened.
The ticket I used for that journey was a child’s ticket, when I should have purchased an adult one. I want to begin by offering my sincere apologies for this mistake, and for the time and resources it has cost your team. I now fully understand how serious fare evasion is — it’s unfair to other passengers, it undermines the integrity of the system, and it puts an unnecessary burden on staff and administrative resources.
When I spoke with the officer at St Pancras, I offered to pay the correct fare or a penalty at that time, but was advised to wait for further contact by post. I would still very much like to make amends, whether that means paying the difference in fare, a penalty, or any other charge you feel is appropriate.
This experience has given me a lot to reflect on, and I want to assure you that I’ve learned from this. I understand the importance of following the rules and will be especially careful to ensure I purchase the correct ticket in the future.
If it’s at all possible to settle this matter without it proceeding to court, I would be extremely grateful. Please let me know if there is anything further I need to do.
Yours sincerely,
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
We need to know more about what happened and when in order to give appropriate advice, as well as seeing the correspondence you received and your reply and the 'evidence' you uploaded.
Did it include all the points which @Hadders suggests you should put in response to a Notice to Prosecute?
- 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 not then I would suggest sending a supplementary submission covering all the points.
Please post a draft here (with any identifying details obscured) so forum members can evaluate it.
A few other minor points as it helps to understand the terminology and procedures used.
(1) Penalty fares are issued at the time of the offence. They can not be issued after the event (retrospectively). Penalty fares can be appealed.
(2) Fines are only issued by a court after legal proceedings. (A penalty fare may look like a fine but strictly speaking it is not)
(3) The Train Operating Company will decide whether to (a) do nothing - very unlikely (b) make an offer of an out of court settlement for the fare avoided plus an admin fee of between £150 - £200 (c) prosecute you in court where the financial penalty from being convicted will be higher and you will get a criminal record.
If you cooperate with them then there is a good probability they will offer you an out of court settlement. When they calculate the fare due they take the full anytime single fare and disregard any fares already paid. They will use the ticket you presented to research your booking history and see if you have done this before. Any out of court settlement offer will reflect this.
Transport for London (TfL) do not follow the above. They do not offer out of court settlements but proceed to court other than in exceptional circumstances.
Hey, thank you for your reply! The link itself only allowd room for a ticket to be uploaded and a very small comment box, it specifically asks not to include appeal information.
My letter draft is here:
I am writing in response to your letter dated 31st April regarding my journey on 23rd January from Stevenage to St Pancras.
Since receiving your letter, I have uploaded the ticket I purchased using the link provided, but I also wanted to write to you directly to express my sincere apologies and explain what happened.
The ticket I used for that journey was a child’s ticket, when I should have purchased an adult one. I want to begin by offering my sincere apologies for this mistake, and for the time and resources it has cost your team. I now fully understand how serious fare evasion is — it’s unfair to other passengers, it undermines the integrity of the system, and it puts an unnecessary burden on staff and administrative resources.
When I spoke with the officer at St Pancras, I offered to pay the correct fare or a penalty at that time, but was advised to wait for further contact by post. I would still very much like to make amends, whether that means paying the difference in fare, a penalty, or any other charge you feel is appropriate.
This experience has given me a lot to reflect on, and I want to assure you that I’ve learned from this. I understand the importance of following the rules and will be especially careful to ensure I purchase the correct ticket in the future.
If it’s at all possible to settle this matter without it proceeding to court, I would be extremely grateful. Please let me know if there is anything further I need to do.
I am writing in response to your letter dated 31st April regarding my journey on 23rd January from Stevenage to St Pancras.
Since receiving your letter, I have uploaded the ticket I purchased using the link provided, but I also wanted to write to you directly to express my sincere apologies and explain what happened.
The ticket I used for that journey was a child’s ticket, when I should have purchased an adult one. I want to begin by offering my sincere apologies for this mistake, and for the time and resources it has cost your team. I now fully understand how serious fare evasion is — it’s unfair to other passengers, it undermines the integrity of the system, and it puts an unnecessary burden on staff and administrative resources.
When I spoke with the officer at St Pancras, I offered to pay the correct fare or a penalty at that time, but was advised to wait for further contact by post. I would still very much like to make amends, whether that means paying the difference in fare, a penalty, or any other charge you feel is appropriate.
This experience has given me a lot to reflect on, and I want to assure you that I’ve learned from this. I understand the importance of following the rules and will be especially careful to ensure I purchase the correct ticket in the future.
If it’s at all possible to settle this matter without it proceeding to court, I would be extremely grateful. Please let me know if there is anything further I need to do.
Not too bad overall but it wasn't a mistake, was it? I think it would be better to change that to "my sincere apologies for doing this", or something similar. Otherwise I don't see any changes being necessary.
Hey, thank you for your reply! The link itself only allowd room for a ticket to be uploaded and a very small comment box, it specifically asks not to include appeal information.
My letter draft is here:
I am writing in response to your letter dated 31st April regarding my journey on 23rd January from Stevenage to St Pancras.
Since receiving your letter, I have uploaded the ticket I purchased using the link provided, but I also wanted to write to you directly to express my sincere apologies and explain what happened.
The ticket I used for that journey was a child’s ticket, when I should have purchased an adult one. I want to begin by offering my sincere apologies for this mistake, and for the time and resources it has cost your team. I now fully understand how serious fare evasion is — it’s unfair to other passengers, it undermines the integrity of the system, and it puts an unnecessary burden on staff and administrative resources.
When I spoke with the officer at St Pancras, I offered to pay the correct fare or a penalty at that time, but was advised to wait for further contact by post. I would still very much like to make amends, whether that means paying the difference in fare, a penalty, or any other charge you feel is appropriate.
This experience has given me a lot to reflect on, and I want to assure you that I’ve learned from this. I understand the importance of following the rules and will be especially careful to ensure I purchase the correct ticket in the future.
If it’s at all possible to settle this matter without it proceeding to court, I would be extremely grateful. Please let me know if there is anything further I need to do.
Yours sincerely,
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
Hey, thank you for your reply! The link itself only allowd room for a ticket to be uploaded and a very small comment box, it specifically asks not to include appeal information.
My letter draft is here:
I am writing in response to your letter dated 31st April regarding my journey on 23rd January from Stevenage to St Pancras.
Since receiving your letter, I have uploaded the ticket I purchased using the link provided, but I also wanted to write to you directly to express my sincere apologies and explain what happened.
The ticket I used for that journey was a child’s ticket, when I should have purchased an adult one. I want to begin by offering my sincere apologies for this mistake, and for the time and resources it has cost your team. I now fully understand how serious fare evasion is — it’s unfair to other passengers, it undermines the integrity of the system, and it puts an unnecessary burden on staff and administrative resources.
When I spoke with the officer at St Pancras, I offered to pay the correct fare or a penalty at that time, but was advised to wait for further contact by post. I would still very much like to make amends, whether that means paying the difference in fare, a penalty, or any other charge you feel is appropriate.
This experience has given me a lot to reflect on, and I want to assure you that I’ve learned from this. I understand the importance of following the rules and will be especially careful to ensure I purchase the correct ticket in the future.
If it’s at all possible to settle this matter without it proceeding to court, I would be extremely grateful. Please let me know if there is anything further I need to do.
We are aware of an issue with emails from the Forum to Microsoft-based email accounts (hotmail/outlook/live.com email addresses). This is being looked into currently, thanks for your patience meanwhile.
