Fare evasion (GTR)

[tiwi]

Hello everyone I need help on how to draft an email to reply to the fraud team.

Earlier in January i entered a train to London Bridge from Luton but bought a ticket to Luton airport parkway. Initially I was suppose to stop at Luton airport parkway to join a friend to Woking. On days I don’t t get response from her I just continue my journey to London bridge with same Luton airport parkway ticket.

I have been caught before and I paid 100 pounds.

The officer was trying to help my check if I had the right ticket on my Trainline app and then she saw that it wasn’t my first time and reported it as well

But this time I got an email instead and I was asked to reply the email as soon as possible.

I have since then always bought the right ticket.

Pls how best can I reply the email, I would really appreciate your contributions. Thank you

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Hello everyone I need help on how to draft an email to reply to the fraud team.

Earlier in January i entered a train to London Bridge from Luton but bought a ticket to Luton airport parkway. Initially I was suppose to stop at Luton airport parkway to join a friend to Woking. On days I don’t t get response from her I just continue my journey to London bridge with same Luton airport parkway ticket.

I have been caught before and I paid 100 pounds.

The officer was trying to help my check if I had the right ticket on my Trainline app and then she saw that it wasn’t my first time and reported it as well

But this time I got an email instead and I was asked to reply the email as soon as possible.

I have since then always bought the right ticket.

Pls how best can I reply the email, I would really appreciate your contributions. Thank you

Welcome to the forum.

As the letter says that '(a)n investigation (...) has established that you avoided rail fares on multiple dates', a good response is to ask them to share with you what dates they want to look at. There's two reasons for that
- you know quite what it is that the railway want to look at, and
- it gives you a bit more time to think

GTR are generally quite good at agreeing to settle things like this out of court, but you will have to pay for the fares that you dodged. That also means it's worth checking that all the fares that they are looking at really are journeys that you made.

So write back to them, asking for details of the journeys that they want to talk about. Do this really politely, as you're not in a strong position and you wouldn't want to annoy them.

 

[AlterEgo]

Earlier in January i entered a train to London Bridge from Luton but bought a ticket to Luton airport parkway. Initially I was suppose to stop at Luton airport parkway to join a friend to Woking. On days I don’t t get response from her I just continue my journey to London bridge with same Luton airport parkway ticket.

Why would this stop you from buying the correct ticket?

 

[tiwi]

Why would this stop you from buying the correct ticket?

So normally I was suppose to stop in Luton airport parkway to join someone in her car for a free ride, she works at the airport.

So sometimes when I get there she doesn’t pick up, so I will have to join another train to London bridge and don’t buy another ticket. Which is bery bad.

So I need to reply them . I don’t know how to reply .

 

[AlterEgo]

So normally I was suppose to stop in Luton airport parkway to join someone in her car for a free ride, she works at the airport.

So sometimes when I get there she doesn’t pick up, so I will have to join another train to London bridge and don’t buy another ticket. Which is bery bad.

So I need to reply them . I don’t know how to reply .

Is your final destination Woking? Where does London Bridge come into all of this?

 

[tiwi]

Is your final destination Woking? Where does London Bridge come into all of this?

Woking. But I only don’t buy to London bridge

 

[AlterEgo]

Woking. But I only don’t buy to London bridge

So your ticket history, which they have downloaded, shows also that you buy lots of tickets to Woking?

Do you think a reasonable person would believe a story that you often go just a single mile on the train and then maybe meet someone in a car who cannot drive that mile and instead take you 50 miles to Woking? And that you can't find out if they're available just four minutes beforehand when you're stepping on the train in Luton? Particularly when the story is coming from someone who admits and was caught short faring using exactly the same method?

 

[Haywain]

So normally I was suppose to stop in Luton airport parkway to join someone in her car for a free ride, she works at the airport.

And you find out about getting a lift in the couple of minutes that it takes to travel from Luton to Parkway? Pull the other one, because that doesn't stand up to scrutiny.

 

[saismee]

And remember you have to convince the TOC you are being truthful. Getting a settlement offer from them is the ideal outcome and lying to them/giving them an unbelievable story might make them consider going forward with prosecuting you - an option that will certainly succeed for them in court as they already have all the evidence necessary.

 

[Swedenorer]

The question they'll ask is why if she doesn't pick up you don't simply buy a ticket to Woking? (It would be £6 cheaper than buying splits anyway.)

 

[Kite159]

Is your final destination Woking? Where does London Bridge come into all of this?

I presume they mentioned London Bridge as it is where the OP change trains (onto South Eastern to Waterloo East), using something like a London Terminals - Woking ticket to get through the barriers at Waterloo East/Waterloo & Woking. (Unless they were doing a "Double Doughnut" (Luton - Luton Airport, London Terminals to Clapham/Vauxhall & West Byfleet to Woking))

 

[Trainman40083]

The question they'll ask is why if she doesn't pick up you don't simply buy a ticket to Woking? (It would be £6 cheaper than buying splits anyway.)

Isn't that a good question.

 

[Swedenorer]

Isn't that a good question.

I think the answer might be rather expensive for the OP!

 

[Elecman]

Would your lady friend provide you with a written and signed statement that she often picks you up from the station and gives you a lift, and be prepared to confirm that under oath in court? If not then don’t insult the TOC by your unbelievable suggestion