GTR witness statement - please help!

[pleasehelp1256]

Yesterday I was given a witness statement. I originally tapped in my oyster on a London Bridge with the intention to go Godstone as I had a client where I do £30 energy surveys. This was my last bid to cover me cost wise in terms of food etc however I was stopped by a ticket inspector who allowed me to pay the journey as I explained to him I thought there would be tap outs. He told me that that (even though we just came back from tunbridge where is swamped from London Bridge), I came on the last stop of Orpington journey so it wouldn’t be considered a journey from London. I was extremely confused but paid up with little pushback. One of the inspectors said that there’s no ticket spaces there anyway at Godstone. That was very much the absolute last amount of money I had.

I very stupidly ended up coming back on the train to go two stops away to Redhill where I bumped into them again. I was so naive I even said hi! I thought that since I tapped into London Bridge and didn’t get the chance to tap out as I bought the ticket, I could just tap out at Redhill and make it a full journey. I had a complete logic lapse thinking that would be okay. As it wasn’t far into London this time but two stops away so it would still be a journey if I tap out.

The inspector told me I could have made a return ticket which I wasn’t aware of because I was told that my journey to this point wasn’t valid anyway. I was extremely confused but I admit, I should not have jumped on the train without paying. I told the man that there was no money as I assumed thy would try to take the same amount I had before and I Literally only had a fiver (which found I actually could have made the two stop Journey with it if I checked).

I’m in this mess and I’m kicking myself. I cannot afford to have a criminal record at all.

I would really appreciate any help in formulating the response back to GTR.
Should I mention the incident before? What is the likelihood the inspector included that?

Should I also reach out to legal representation now? How does that payment work if I have none?

Thanks

 

[tatitiliti]

Yesterday I was given a witness statement. I originally tapped in my oyster on a London Bridge with the intention to go Godstone as I had a client where I do £30 energy surveys. This was my last bid to cover me cost wise in terms of food etc however I was stopped by a ticket inspector who allowed me to pay the journey as I explained to him I thought there would be tap outs. He told me that that (even though we just came back from tunbridge where is swamped from London Bridge), I came on the last stop of Orpington journey so it wouldn’t be considered a journey from London. I was extremely confused but paid up with little pushback. One of the inspectors said that there’s no ticket spaces there anyway at Godstone. That was very much the absolute last amount of money I had.

I very stupidly ended up coming back on the train to go two stops away to Redhill where I bumped into them again. I was so naive I even said hi! I thought that since I tapped into London Bridge and didn’t get the chance to tap out as I bought the ticket, I could just tap out at Redhill and make it a full journey. I had a complete logic lapse thinking that would be okay. As it wasn’t far into London this time but two stops away so it would still be a journey if I tap out.

The inspector told me I could have made a return ticket which I wasn’t aware of because I was told that my journey to this point wasn’t valid anyway. I was extremely confused but I admit, I should not have jumped on the train without paying. I told the man that there was no money as I assumed thy would try to take the same amount I had before and I Literally only had a fiver (which found I actually could have made the two stop Journey with it if I checked).

I’m in this mess and I’m kicking myself. I cannot afford to have a criminal record at all.

I would really appreciate any help in formulating the response back to GTR.
Should I mention the incident before? What is the likelihood the inspector included that?

Should I also reach out to legal representation now? How does that payment work if I have none?

Thanks

Wait for the letter to arrive (could be up to 6 months) then post a redacted version here - don’t get legal representation as it’s almost certainly a waste of money that a simple letter in reply will be able to achieve.

 

[pleasehelp1256]

Wait for the letter to arrive (could be up to 6 months) then post a redacted version here - don’t get legal representation as it’s almost certainly a waste of money that a simple letter in reply will be able to achieve.

Okay will do. Thank you! Is it worth dropping them an email to say in very committed to resolving this and will be waiting for their letter or to leave it?

 

[JBuchananGB]

It might be helpful if you explain more clearly exactly what journey(s) you made. You have mentioned Tonbridge, Orpington, London Bridge, Godstone and Redhill, and which tickets you had for which part of which journey.
Remember that it is criminal offence to get on a train without first having a valid ticket for the journey, or having tapped in a prepaid or payment card of some sort valid for the journey.
The railway is not sympathetic to people who have no money getting on their trains. When you get a letter from them, share it here and people will help you. You can expect to pay the fare(s) avoided plus an administration fee.
You should not contact them now. You should wait for their letter.

 

[blimmo]

Don't contact them before you receive the letter. They will probably struggle to match your contact to your case since it may not be in their system yet.

They expect you to respond only once you are contacted. As long as you respond then they will consider you "committed to resolving this" as you say, you don't need to tell them now.

 

[pleasehelp1256]

It might be helpful if you explain more clearly exactly what journey(s) you made. You have mentioned Tonbridge, Orpington, London Bridge, Godstone and Redhill, and which tickets you had for which part of which journey.
Remember that it is criminal offence to get on a train without first having a valid ticket for the journey, or having tapped in a prepaid or payment card of some sort valid for the journey.
The railway is not sympathetic to people who have no money getting on their trains. When you get a letter from them, share it here and people will help you. You can expect to pay the fare(s) avoided plus an administration fee.
You should not contact them now. You should wait for their letter.

Yes so

1. I got on at London bridge, then tried to do a change over at tunbridge where I would get off at Godstone
2. Later on I returned to Godstone to get on the train two stops away to Redhill.
3. Orpington was not in my journey or plans, the inspector brought up Orpington to illustrate that the train I was on (that I alighted from Tunbridge) was travelling to Tunbridge and Orpington and back. I was confused as I used to live in Bromley and assumed that Orpington was also a tap in/out place like a large proportion of the borough? I brought it up to illustrate my confusion.

And yes I completely understand, I really don’t know why I thought I was in the clear. Complete lack of sense at that point.

 

[WesternLancer]

Okay will do. Thank you! Is it worth dropping them an email to say in very committed to resolving this and will be waiting for their letter or to leave it?

As others have said - do not contact them - wait for them to contact you - and use that time to assemble funds that you can use to pay them if they seek a payment from you for what has happened - you may need more than £100

Just on your original post you say:

I was extremely confused but paid up with little pushback.

1. What exactly did you pay?
2. Are you saying you got given a Penalty Fare at this point which you paid?
3. and then got given a witness statement later on?

Separately some general advice that is often given on the forum might help you see what the next steps are after the witness statement, what to expect to happen and how you can prepare for what you will need to do in due course. Here it is below - the important thing for them will be to try and convince them that you genuinely believed your travels would be in the 'contactless payment' area - which is what the staff were probably trying to explain that it was not

if it is of interest / use this map shows that area and the routes where contactless is valid - like much of the railway system it can be confusing!
https://assets.nationalrail.co.uk/e...ce577/Contactless_stations_map_8_March_26.pdf


Here's the standard advice anyway:

Firstly, you committed a criminal offence by travelling with an invalid ticket and railway companies are entitled to prosecute you in the Magistrates Court if they want to. The good news is they will normally offer an out of court settlement to people who co-operate with them and who haven't come to their attention before.


Next, what happens is the railway company will write to you. The letter will go to the address that you gave them / on any of your ID they checked so you need to be able to access hard copy post at that address as they often send things that way (but also check e-mail and spam). It is extremely important that you reply, and you'll only have a limited time to do so (often 14 days from the date on their communication).

When you receive the letter post a redacted copy of it in this thread, along with your draft reply and forum members will proof read it for you. You'll find lots of example letters you can use in this section of the forum but the reply basically needs to mention:

- That you are sorry for what has happened
- What you have learned from the incident and will not do this again
- That you are keen to settle the matter without the need for court action
- Offer to pay the outstanding fare and the railway company’s administrative costs in dealing with the matter

The railway will probably offer you an out of court settlement. Expect to have to pay the cost of the fare for the journey you made at the full Anytime rate with no credit given for the invalid ticket you purchased. In addition they will charge an admin fee, typically £150. They will also audit your online ticket purchase history and if this shows you've purchased other tickets that were not valid (eg railcard discounted tickets when you did not have a valid railcard, or tickets for only part of the journey, or tickets bought after boarding the train you travelled on ) they will probably factor the cost of these journeys into the settlement offer. Depending on how many journeys you've made over the period concerned this could end up being expensive.

Settlements usually have to be paid in full within a few days of them being offered so if money is tight you might want to think about how you will raise the sum required at short notice.

 

[pleasehelp1256]

As others have said - do not contact them - wait for them to contact you - and use that time to assemble funds that you can use to pay them if they seek a payment from you for what has happened - you may need more than £100

Just on your original post you say:

1. What exactly did you pay?
2. Are you saying you got given a Penalty Fare at this point which you paid?
3. and then got given a witness statement later on?

Separately some general advice that is often given on the forum might help you see what the next steps are after the witness statement, what to expect to happen and how you can prepare for what you will need to do in due course. Here it is below - the important thing for them will be to try and convince them that you genuinely believed your travels would be in the 'contactless payment' area - which is what the staff were probably trying to explain that it was not

if it is of interest / use this map shows that area and the routes where contactless is valid - like much of the railway system it can be confusing!
https://assets.nationalrail.co.uk/e...ce577/Contactless_stations_map_8_March_26.pdf


Here's the standard advice anyway:

Firstly, you committed a criminal offence by travelling with an invalid ticket and railway companies are entitled to prosecute you in the Magistrates Court if they want to. The good news is they will normally offer an out of court settlement to people who co-operate with them and who haven't come to their attention before.


Next, what happens is the railway company will write to you. The letter will go to the address that you gave them / on any of your ID they checked so you need to be able to access hard copy post at that address as they often send things that way (but also check e-mail and spam). It is extremely important that you reply, and you'll only have a limited time to do so (often 14 days from the date on their communication).

When you receive the letter post a redacted copy of it in this thread, along with your draft reply and forum members will proof read it for you. You'll find lots of example letters you can use in this section of the forum but the reply basically needs to mention:

- That you are sorry for what has happened
- What you have learned from the incident and will not do this again
- That you are keen to settle the matter without the need for court action
- Offer to pay the outstanding fare and the railway company’s administrative costs in dealing with the matter

The railway will probably offer you an out of court settlement. Expect to have to pay the cost of the fare for the journey you made at the full Anytime rate with no credit given for the invalid ticket you purchased. In addition they will charge an admin fee, typically £150. They will also audit your online ticket purchase history and if this shows you've purchased other tickets that were not valid (eg railcard discounted tickets when you did not have a valid railcard, or tickets for only part of the journey, or tickets bought after boarding the train you travelled on ) they will probably factor the cost of these journeys into the settlement offer. Depending on how many journeys you've made over the period concerned this could end up being expensive.

Settlements usually have to be paid in full within a few days of them being offered so if money is tight you might want to think about how you will raise the sum required at short notice.

I don't think it was a penalty fare as it was £17 which I assume was the amount from London Bridge to Tunbridge. When the 2nd inspector spoke to me, he said he did not want to offer me the penalty fare so I don't think I got the option too. Thank you for the map! Def will keep that handy. I was just reliant on TfL Go app, Google maps and dreams. Will they also look at my TfL account too or just with that particular trainline?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 10 Mar 2026 ==

I only ask about TfL to because I do NOT bump (hence why this is so crazy to me! so I am not worried but I was wondering if I could show that I did tap in with every intention to pay for a trip that evening.

 

[WesternLancer]

I don't think it was a penalty fare as it was £17 which I assume was the amount from London Bridge to Tunbridge.

That's not a Penalty Fare (£100 + the cost of the fare, reduced to £50 + fare if paid promptly) - sounds like you got lucky and they just charged you the fare

A London Bridge to Tonbridge (not Tunbridge Wells) is £18.80 single via Redhill - not sure what £17 might be therefore....

So maybe early on they believed your story - but when they encountered you again they decided you had not 'learned a lesson' from their 'advice' or whatever they told you and felt they needed to take further action - ie report you.

If you still have any of this paperwork (ticket / MG11 paperwork etc) keep it safe - you may need to refer to it later on

When the 2nd inspector spoke to me, he said he did not want to offer me the penalty fare so I don't think I got the option too. Thank you for the map! Def will keep that handy. I was just reliant on TfL Go app, Google maps and dreams. Will they also look at my TfL account too or just with that particular trainline?

They could look at anything they want to of that sort but they may or may not do so. They may simply not bother, but you can't 100% rule it out

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 10 Mar 2026 ==

I only ask about TfL to because I do NOT bump (hence why this is so crazy to me! so I am not worried but I was wondering if I could show that I did tap in with every intention to pay for a trip that evening.

If you use Oyster or contactless you should go on to the Tfl website and register your card with them - then you can log in I believe and it will show your journey history and tap locations etc - you should do this now and save a record of what it is showing - as this may be something you could use to prove you tapped in which may be helpful for the reasons you say - the record will not show on their system to you long term so do this in the next few days.

Also I suspect that if you tapped in but did not tap out your card will have been charged a maximum fare so you may have ended up paying more than you need to - AIUI if you contact TfL customer services about that they will correct the tap in / your record

But it may be you should see if any TfL contactless experts on here suggest best to do this or not as there may be a downside of ringing them and telling them what you did?

You should register your card though so you can access your contactless travel history, both now and potentially useful in future I would think.

Anyway
When you eventually get contacted by GTR people here will help you write a reply that explains clearly what happened, in such a way that the railway will (hopefully) understand - with a view to minimising the consequences of all this for you.

 

[pleasehelp1256]

That's not a Penalty Fare (£100 + the cost of the fare, reduced to £50 + fare if paid promptly) - sounds like you got lucky and they just charged you the fare

A London Bridge to Tonbridge (not Tunbridge Wells) is £18.80 single via Redhill - not sure what £17 might be therefore....

So maybe early on they believed your story - but when they encountered you again they decided you had not 'learned a lesson' from their 'advice' or whatever they told you and fleet they needed to take further action - ie report you.

If you still have any of this paperwork (ticket / MG11 paperwork etc) keep it safe - you may need to refer to it later on



They could look at anything they want to of that sort but they may or may not do so. They may simply not bother, but you can't 100% rule it out


If you use Oyster or contactless you should go on to the Tfl website and register your card with them - then you can log in I believe and it will show your journey history and tap locations etc - you should do this now and save a record of what it is showing - as this may be something you could use to prove you tapped in which may be helpful for the reasons you say - the record will not show on their system to you long term so do this in the next few days.

Also I suspect that if you tapped in but did not tap out your card will have been charged a maximum fare so you may have ended up paying more than you need to - AIUI if you contact TfL customer services about that they will correct the tap in / your record

But it may be you should see if any TfL contactless experts on here suggest best to do this or not as there may be a downside of ringing them and telling them what you did?

You should register your card though so you can access your contactless travel history, both now and potentially useful in future I would think.

Anyway
When you eventually get contacted by GTR people here will help you write a reply that explains clearly what happened, in such a way that the railway will (hopefully) understand - with a view to minimising the consequences of all this for you.

Thank you so much for your (and everyone's] help so far! I will be back then!!

 

[z444z]

Will they also look at my TfL account too or just with that particular trainline?

We generally see them check the account used to purchase the ticket they caught you using. Sometimes they'll also check a few other common ticketing platforms under the same details (probably just email address). I don't think mainline TOCs tend to access TfL journey history, maybe except in complex fraud cases but with cases like yours it doesn't seem to ever happen.

 

[pleasehelp1256]

Hi All,

Got the letter of doom. Not sure why it said I was called up at Clapham Junction. It has now confused things immensely. Here is my draft:

Dear Prosecutions Department,

I am writing in response to your letter, dated 29th May 2026.

I would like to apologise for travelling without the correct ticket purchased prior to travel. I sought to travel to London Bridge to Godstone to which I bought a separate ticket for once realising my mistake about being on a different train operating system. Subsequently, from Godstone Station, I made a incorrect call that I could complete my pending TfL journey by tapping out at Redhill Train station, which is a regular destination of mine and I was assured I could tap out of with my Oyster card and from there, travel to Clapham Junction (hence why my destination was marked for Clapham Junction which I notified the inspector).

As you can see by the attached TFL journey from that evening, I had absolutely every intention to pay for a journey that evening. However, I did not take the onus to check my route before riding to know which transport operator I would be travelling with and expected charges of said route, to which I now understand that this is not permitted, and I take full responsibility for this and regret my error very deeply.I appreciate now just how serious this is and I am horrified at the impact this had and what it does have on the rail service. This is not something that will happen again and not happened since using the train line since this event – I have ensured I always have a valid ticket prior to travelling on the railway and will continue to do so.

I would appreciate your consideration in resolving this matter outside of court. I am willing to pay any monies owed and cover the cost of any administrative costs you have incurred.

Kind regards,


and I have attached the redacted letter and the TFL screenshot I wanted to send in. View attachment 189dc3dc-ca26-46a3-a7f3-bee2aa387c0d-0.jpgView attachment 189dc3dc-ca26-46a3-a7f3-bee2aa387c0d-1.jpgView attachment 189dc3dc-ca26-46a3-a7f3-bee2aa387c0d-2.jpg

 

[WesternLancer]

Hi All,

Got the letter of doom. Not sure why it said I was called up at Clapham Junction. It has now confused things immensely. Here is my draft:

Dear Prosecutions Department,

I am writing in response to your letter, dated 29th May 2026.

I would like to apologise for travelling without the correct ticket purchased prior to travel. I sought to travel to London Bridge to Godstone to which I bought a separate ticket for once realising my mistake about being on a different train operating system. Subsequently, from Godstone Station, I made a incorrect call that I could complete my pending TfL journey by tapping out at Redhill Train station, which is a regular destination of mine and I was assured I could tap out of with my Oyster card and from there, travel to Clapham Junction (hence why my destination was marked for Clapham Junction which I notified the inspector).

As you can see by the attached TFL journey from that evening, I had absolutely every intention to pay for a journey that evening. However, I did not take the onus to check my route before riding to know which transport operator I would be travelling with and expected charges of said route, to which I now understand that this is not permitted, and I take full responsibility for this and regret my error very deeply.I appreciate now just how serious this is and I am horrified at the impact this had and what it does have on the rail service. This is not something that will happen again and not happened since using the train line since this event – I have ensured I always have a valid ticket prior to travelling on the railway and will continue to do so.

I would appreciate your consideration in resolving this matter outside of court. I am willing to pay any monies owed and cover the cost of any administrative costs you have incurred.

Kind regards,


and I have attached the redacted letter and the TFL screenshot I wanted to send in.View attachment 205387 View attachment 205376View attachment 205382View attachment 205383View attachment 205384

Thanks for heading back
I wonder if it might be possible to edit this down and simplify it a bit.

The opening section about what happened is a bit confusing.

 

[SECR 65]

I'm slightly confused about your journey. So did you intend to travel from Clapham Junction (Southern to Redhill, Southern to Godstone) but changed you mind so went via TFL services to London Bridge, where you picked up a Southeastern train to Tonbridge, and Southern to Redhill? Which Train Operating Company (TFL / SN(GTR) / SE) stopped you and sent the letter?

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Which Train Operating Company (TFL / SN(GTR) / SE) stopped you and sent the letter?

OP's final attachment (https://www.railforums.co.uk/attachments/189dc3dc-ca26-46a3-a7f3-bee2aa387c0d-2-jpg.205381/) is the last page of a letter from GTR, so that's the company involved. It would be helpful to see the rest of the letter as well to make sure that the railway is only asking about the one incident.

 

[Haywain]

As you can see by the attached TFL journey from that evening, I had absolutely every intention to pay for a journey that evening. However, I did not take the onus to check my route before riding to know which transport operator I would be travelling with and expected charges of said route, to which I now understand that this is not permitted, and I take full responsibility for this and regret my error very deeply.I appreciate now just how serious this is and I am horrified at the impact this had and what it does have on the rail service. This is not something that will happen again and not happened since using the train line since this event – I have ensured I always have a valid ticket prior to travelling on the railway and will continue to do so.

I'm not sure how you think this helps your case. If anything, it adds confusion, and goes on to say you "always have a valid ticket" when it's clear that you failed this twice on the same day. It is my opinion that you should simply apologise for travelling from Godstone to Redhill without a valid ticket and get on with assuring them that it won't happen again.

 

[WesternLancer]

Hi @pleasehelp1256 - see below for some suggested changes which you can use if you think they will be of help. I hope you can see the amendments clearly (both additions and strikethroughs) - before you send anything amended please check that it is accurate and true

If this needs to be sent hard copy - you need to print it all out, ensure every page to be sent has your ref number on it, sign it, and post it tracked postage from a a post office so you can be sure it is received (make sure you track the delivery and keep a record of the tracking) Royal Mail Tracked 48 should be OK

Keep a copy of every page you send them.

Happy for anyone else here to suggest improvements, esp if I have misunderstood anything.



Dear Prosecutions Department,

Your Ref: [insert their ref number for this here, assuming you have one on whatever they have sent you]

I am writing in response to your letter, dated 29th May 2026.

I would like to apologise for travelling without the correct ticket from Godstone to Redhill as part of a longer journey from London Bridge. I had assumed I could use my Oyster Card for the correct payment of my fare without realising this was not the case.

purchased prior to travel. I sought to travel to London Bridge to Godstone to which I bought a separate ticket for once realising my mistake about being on a different train operating system. Subsequently, from Godstone Station, I made a incorrect call that I could complete my pending TfL journey by tapping out at Redhill Train station, which is a regular destination of mine and I was assured I could tap out of with my Oyster card and from there, travel to Clapham Junction (hence why my destination was marked for Clapham Junction which I notified the inspector).

As you can see by the I have attached my TFL journey record from that evening, which I hope shows that I had absolutely every intention to pay a fare for this journey. that evening. Please be assured that I was not attempting to avoid paying my fare.

I subsequently realsied that I should have carefully checked the validity of my Oyster card outside of the London area. However, I did not take the onus to check my route before riding to know which transport operator I would be travelling with and expected charges of said route, to which I now understand that this is not permitted, and
I take full responsibility for this and regret my error. very deeply.I appreciate now just how serious this is and I am horrified at the impact this had and what it does have on the rail service.
This is not something that will happen again and not happened since using the train line since this event – I will ensure I always have a valid ticket for my complete journey prior to travelling on the railway. and will continue to do so.

I would appreciate your consideration in allowing me to resolve this matter outside of court. I am willing to pay any monies owed and cover the cost of any administrative costs you have incurred.

Kind regards,



and I have attached the redacted letter and the TFL screenshot I wanted to send in.
Which you can still attach with your reply when you send it

 

[pleasehelp1256]

OP's final attachment (https://www.railforums.co.uk/attachments/189dc3dc-ca26-46a3-a7f3-bee2aa387c0d-2-jpg.205381/) is the last page of a letter from GTR, so that's the company involved. It would be helpful to see the rest of the letter as well to make sure that the railway is only asking about the one incident.

Sorry I thought I attached all the letter!

 

[pleasehelp1256]

I'm slightly confused about your journey. So did you intend to travel from Clapham Junction (Southern to Redhill, Southern to Godstone) but changed you mind so went via TFL services to London Bridge, where you picked up a Southeastern train to Tonbridge, and Southern to Redhill? Which Train Operating Company (TFL / SN(GTR) / SE) stopped you and sent the letter?

Sorry it is confusing.

I first made a journey with the intention from London Bridge to Godstone and thought I would be able to tap out. Turns out I couldn't so ended up getting ticketed.

I got back on at Godstone later on and thought that since I hadn't tapped out of my first journey, I know I would be able to tap out Redhill. That's when I got stopped by the inspector again as I thought I would be able to pay for a journey from London bridge to redhill, which is the train's route I was on anyway.

I was going to get a bus from Redhill to clapham junction, hence why I told him my final stop was for Clapham Junction. he stopped me a stop before Redhill so not anywhere near Clapham Junction. it was GTR that stopped me.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 5 Jun 2026 ==

OP's final attachment (https://www.railforums.co.uk/attachments/189dc3dc-ca26-46a3-a7f3-bee2aa387c0d-2-jpg.205381/) is the last page of a letter from GTR, so that's the company involved. It would be helpful to see the rest of the letter as well to make sure that the railway is only asking about the one incident.

Sorry i think the mod removed the other screenshots of the letter. It is for this one journey.

On the letter, it says this:

Details of offence(s)
On the below date you were spoken to regarding the following alleged offence(s):

• That you on 09 Mar upon inspection at Clapham Junction (CLJ); failed to hand over ticket for inspection and verification of validity when asked to do so by authorised person.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 7 Jun 2026 ==

Hi @pleasehelp1256 - see below for some suggested changes which you can use if you think they will be of help. I hope you can see the amendments clearly (both additions and strikethroughs) - before you send anything amended please check that it is accurate and true

If this needs to be sent hard copy - you need to print it all out, ensure every page to be sent has your ref number on it, sign it, and post it tracked postage from a a post office so you can be sure it is received (make sure you track the delivery and keep a record of the tracking) Royal Mail Tracked 48 should be OK

Keep a copy of every page you send them.

Happy for anyone else here to suggest improvements, esp if I have misunderstood anything.



Dear Prosecutions Department,

Your Ref: [insert their ref number for this here, assuming you have one on whatever they have sent you]

I am writing in response to your letter, dated 29th May 2026.

I would like to apologise for travelling without the correct ticket from Godstone to Redhill as part of a longer journey from London Bridge. I had assumed I could use my Oyster Card for the correct payment of my fare without realising this was not the case.

purchased prior to travel. I sought to travel to London Bridge to Godstone to which I bought a separate ticket for once realising my mistake about being on a different train operating system. Subsequently, from Godstone Station, I made a incorrect call that I could complete my pending TfL journey by tapping out at Redhill Train station, which is a regular destination of mine and I was assured I could tap out of with my Oyster card and from there, travel to Clapham Junction (hence why my destination was marked for Clapham Junction which I notified the inspector).

As you can see by the I have attached my TFL journey record from that evening, which I hope shows that I had absolutely every intention to pay a fare for this journey. that evening. Please be assured that I was not attempting to avoid paying my fare.

I subsequently realsied that I should have carefully checked the validity of my Oyster card outside of the London area. However, I did not take the onus to check my route before riding to know which transport operator I would be travelling with and expected charges of said route, to which I now understand that this is not permitted, and
I take full responsibility for this and regret my error. very deeply.I appreciate now just how serious this is and I am horrified at the impact this had and what it does have on the rail service.
This is not something that will happen again and not happened since using the train line since this event – I will ensure I always have a valid ticket for my complete journey prior to travelling on the railway. and will continue to do so.

I would appreciate your consideration in allowing me to resolve this matter outside of court. I am willing to pay any monies owed and cover the cost of any administrative costs you have incurred.

Kind regards,



and I have attached the redacted letter and the TFL screenshot I wanted to send in.
Which you can still attach with your reply when you send it

Thank you so much for this!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 10 Jun 2026 ==

Update: I got a settlement of 69GBP and a hard won lesson. Thank you for the help! Esp from

WesternLancer!!​

 

[WesternLancer]

Sorry it is confusing.

I first made a journey with the intention from London Bridge to Godstone and thought I would be able to tap out. Turns out I couldn't so ended up getting ticketed.

I got back on at Godstone later on and thought that since I hadn't tapped out of my first journey, I know I would be able to tap out Redhill. That's when I got stopped by the inspector again as I thought I would be able to pay for a journey from London bridge to redhill, which is the train's route I was on anyway.

I was going to get a bus from Redhill to clapham junction, hence why I told him my final stop was for Clapham Junction. he stopped me a stop before Redhill so not anywhere near Clapham Junction. it was GTR that stopped me.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 5 Jun 2026 ==


Sorry i think the mod removed the other screenshots of the letter. It is for this one journey.

On the letter, it says this:

Details of offence(s)
On the below date you were spoken to regarding the following alleged offence(s):

• That you on 09 Mar upon inspection at Clapham Junction (CLJ); failed to hand over ticket for inspection and verification of validity when asked to do so by authorised person.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 7 Jun 2026 ==


Thank you so much for this!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 10 Jun 2026 ==

Update: I got a settlement of 69GBP and a hard won lesson. Thank you for the help! Esp from

WesternLancer!!​

Thanks for the update - this is good and at the lower end of the cost spectrum too

When you pay this - make sure you keep proof of payment and keep that long term (eg 6 years)

 

[pleasehelp1256]

Thanks for the update - this is good and at the lower end of the cost spectrum too

When you pay this - make sure you keep proof of payment and keep that long term (eg 6 years)

Will do! Thanks again!