Lied about forgetting railcard

[BiggestDog]

Hello,

The facts are that
- traveled from Milton Keynes central to Warrington Bank Quay
- my friend bought my ticket
- was not aware I need a railcard for this journey as tickets had not been checked at all
- when leaving bank quay a member of staff asked to see our rail cards
- I checked my wallet to see if my old previous student rail card was there which I was unsure of if it was still valid as I don’t frequently use trains. I have now checked and i expired 2 years ago
- told the member of staff that I had forgotten my rail card and he subsequently gave me a travel incident report
- I have now bought a online rail card due to this mistake that my friend is suggestion I submit this to them even though it is not valid during this date as he has successfully gotten of like this before

What should I do and how likely will this just be a formal process in which I can just pay the approx 200 quid and be done with this without any criminal record?

 

[Gloster]

The experts will be along later, but that you bought the railcard after the event will not directly affect this incident, but will at least give a good impression in that you appear to have taken action to prevent the matter occurring again. Two years is a long time to have overlooked the matter.

You are likely to get a letter from the railway company in anything from a week or two to several months. If you handle it right, and you will get advice as to how to do that on this forum, you are likely to get away with paying the fare plus the railway’s investigation costs. But they will investigate your account and may include any other journeys you have made with a reduced fare ticket.

 

[BiggestDog]

The experts will be along later, but that you bought the railcard after the event will not directly affect this incident, but will at least give a good impression in that you appear to have taken action to prevent the matter occurring again. Two years is a long time to have overlooked the matter.

You are likely to get a letter from the railway company in anything from a week or two to several months. If you handle it right, and you will get advice as to how to do that on this forum, you are likely to get away with paying the fare plus the railway’s investigation costs. But they will investigate your account and may include any other journeys you have made with a reduced fare ticket.

Thank you for you advice. The railcard was me at the time thinking that by some luck I both A have my railcard with me and B it’s still in date I knew at the time it was a longshot. I’m just more concerned that I have to now explain I have effectively lied about having a valid one rather just being able to pay the fine for not having one and being an honest mixup. I have always paid the correct amount for tickets so them looking through my account shouldn’t be an issue as this was an error on my friends behalf that this ticket was with a railcard.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

@BiggestDog. Which train company are you dealing with? Avanti or Northern, maybe? If you've been issued with a Travel Irregularity Report or similar, can you upload a copy of same with any name and address and case reference number details suitably obscured.

An undiscounted Anytime Day Single from Milton Keynes Central to Warrington Bank Quay is something like £112.30 with no allowance made for what's already been paid, but the bigger potential problem will be if the TOC's investigating team reasonably consider that you have travelled on other previous occasions using railcard discounted tickets, but without you holding the relevant valid, in date, corresponding railcard. So, have you?

 

[BiggestDog]

@BiggestDog. Which train company are you dealing with? Avanti or Northern, maybe? If you've been issued with a Travel Irregularity Report or similar, can you upload a copy of same with any name and address and case reference number details suitably obscured.

An undiscounted Anytime Day Single from Milton Keynes Central to Warrington Bank Quay is something like £112.30 with no allowance made for what's already been paid, but the bigger potential problem will be if the TOC's investigating team reasonably consider that you have travelled on other previous occasions using railcard discounted tickets, but without you holding the relevant valid, in date, corresponding railcard. So, have you?

@BiggestDog. Which train company are you dealing with? Avanti or Northern, maybe? If you've been issued with a Travel Irregularity Report or similar, can you upload a copy of same with any name and address and case reference number details suitably obscured.

An undiscounted Anytime Day Single from Milton Keynes Central to Warrington Bank Quay is something like £112.30 with no allowance made for what's already been paid, but the bigger potential problem will be if the TOC's investigating team reasonably consider that you have travelled on other previous occasions using railcard discounted tickets, but without you holding the relevant valid, in date, corresponding railcard. So, have you?

I believe I am dealing with Northern and have attached the travel incident report.

The other parts of the journey were also on the same split ticket but I would not know the details as my friend handled them entirely also nothing has been scanned so I imagine they will not be considered. I have never before traveled on a railcard ticket without a railcard

 

[Titfield]

A TOC is extremely unlikely to hold your "telling a lie" against you. This happens all the time.

If you engage with the TOC (ie communicate with them) along the lines suggested by @Hadders in numerous emails on this forum then the most likely outcome is they will offer you an out of court settlement comprising the full cost of the fare (as explained above) plus an admin fee of between £100 and £200.

This presupposes that you have not come to their attention before nor have you purchased and used other railcard discounted tickets without holding the appropriate railcard.

 

[Hadders]

Welcome to the forum!

Northern will write to you in the next few weeks saying that they have received a report and are considering prosecuting you. They will ask you to give your version of events before deciding what action to take. I suggest a short, concise reply mentioning the following points:

- 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

Northern are entitled to prosecute you in the Magistrates Court if they want to but they will normally offer an out of court settlement to people who cooperate with them and who haven't come to their attention before. Expect this to cost the full Anytime Single fare with no credit given for the ticket you did purchase. In addition you will have to pay an admin fee, typically around £150.

Feel free to post a copy of Northern's letter in this thread along with your draft reply and forum members will proof read it for you. Do redact any personal details before uploading.

 

[WesternLancer]

Welcome to the forum!

Northern will write to you in the next few weeks saying that they have received a report and are considering prosecuting you. They will ask you to give your version of events before deciding what action to take. I suggest a short, concise reply mentioning the following points:

- 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

Northern are entitled to prosecute you in the Magistrates Court if they want to but they will normally offer an out of court settlement to people who cooperate with them and who haven't come to their attention before. Expect this to cost the full Anytime Single fare with no credit given for the ticket you did purchase. In addition you will have to pay an admin fee, typically around £150.

Feel free to post a copy of Northern's letter in this thread along with your draft reply and forum members will proof read it for you. Do redact any personal details before uploading.

In this instance would northern write in slightly different terms to ask for the railcard the op said they had? Albeit not with them and later discovered it had expired some time before.

 

[Hadders]

In this instance would northern write in slightly different terms to ask for the railcard the op said they had? Albeit not with them and later discovered it had expired some time before.

If they do ask for a copy of the railcard I would simply respond along the lines I mentioned above but also add that the railcard had expired.

 

[WesternLancer]

If they do ask for a copy of the railcard I would simply respond along the lines I mentioned above but also add that the railcard had expired.

Thanks hadders.