james97
Member
Hi all,
I have received a Notice of Intention to Prosecute letter from GTR after being caught short faring at City Thameslink by revenue protection. When questioned by the officer where I had travelled from I said Teddington and that I forgot to tap on so I then bought a ticket on the train from Blackfriars to City Thameslink. They took my details on their system and the officer mentioned I was not under arrest but anything I said could be given in evidence. I was fully compliant and respectful. I had only moved to Teddington at the start of January and started a new job and thought by short faring I would save money as it was costing about £250 a month otherwise, which in hindsight was a very poor decision and I have learned the hard way by receiving this letter. I have some other short fares on my trainline account from the month of January before this incident occurred but never before this, and I'm not sure if this will be checked or not or if I should mention it - it probably adds up to about £200/£300.
I don't know what to reply in my letter as I was untruthful in saying I forgot to tap on at Teddington as there is no barrier there - although I short fared. Do I still say I forgot to tap on at Teddington and stress I will pay any outstanding balance quickly, or that I short fared? I would appreciate any assistance in drafting my response. I definitely do not want to bring this to court, this is the first time where this has happened to me and I really would like to emphasise how regretful and apologetic I am and more than willing to pay any amount owed plus any admin costs and ensure it will never happen again. I am paranoid this will affect my employment if I was to be brought to court and prosecuted.
I have received a Notice of Intention to Prosecute letter from GTR after being caught short faring at City Thameslink by revenue protection. When questioned by the officer where I had travelled from I said Teddington and that I forgot to tap on so I then bought a ticket on the train from Blackfriars to City Thameslink. They took my details on their system and the officer mentioned I was not under arrest but anything I said could be given in evidence. I was fully compliant and respectful. I had only moved to Teddington at the start of January and started a new job and thought by short faring I would save money as it was costing about £250 a month otherwise, which in hindsight was a very poor decision and I have learned the hard way by receiving this letter. I have some other short fares on my trainline account from the month of January before this incident occurred but never before this, and I'm not sure if this will be checked or not or if I should mention it - it probably adds up to about £200/£300.
I don't know what to reply in my letter as I was untruthful in saying I forgot to tap on at Teddington as there is no barrier there - although I short fared. Do I still say I forgot to tap on at Teddington and stress I will pay any outstanding balance quickly, or that I short fared? I would appreciate any assistance in drafting my response. I definitely do not want to bring this to court, this is the first time where this has happened to me and I really would like to emphasise how regretful and apologetic I am and more than willing to pay any amount owed plus any admin costs and ensure it will never happen again. I am paranoid this will affect my employment if I was to be brought to court and prosecuted.
- The stations* where you actually started & finished your journey - Started at Teddington and finished at City Thameslink
- The stations* where you changed trains (if applicable) - I changed trains at Wimbledon and boarded the train to City Thameslink
- If you presented a ticket(s), the information* stated under "Ticket type", "From", "To", "Route", and any other relevant details - I presented my ticket on the trainline app from London Blackfriars to City Thameslink when asked by the revenue protection officer
- Details of any Railcard(s) held - I have a 26-30 railcard but I did not apply this to the ticket I bought
- When and where ticket(s) were purchased, including whether this was prior to the journey commencing - I bought the ticket while on the trainline app while I was on the train
- What happened in any encounter with railway staff - I tried to tap out and it didn't work. I got asked where I travelled from and said Teddington and that I forgot to tap on so I bought the ticket from London Blackfriars to City Thameslink, which I deeply regret as this was not truthful. The officer took my details and said the company would reach out in due course. I was fully compliant with the officer and gave all my details to them and apologised and said it would not happen again, and they acknowledged this and said it's ok. The officer also asked if I was willing to pay the fare difference and I said yes, but I didn't actually have to pay anything there and then. They were friendly in the end and I again acknoweldged how apologetic I was. They said to to reply to the letter with the same as what I told them.
- We need to know what outcome(s) you would consider satisfactory - This was poor judgment on my part shorting the fare which I deeply regret and am ashamed of doing. I have definitely learnt my lesson and purchased a monthly season ticket for £224 after this happened to ensure I am covered for my journey, and have been using contactless every time I've been going into the office since my monthly season ticket expired. I am very anxious about their intention to bring this to court and would much rather settle this quickyly while emphasising that I am sorry and have learned my lesson from this.
