Sanity Check on my failed ticket inspection.

[Bilsky123]

I will keep this as factual as I can to try and get some opinions on if I have a case or not against my failed ticket inspection.

I travel usually from Luton to London 3x a week. I have a flexi season ticket covering these journeys.

Occasionally I also travel from Luton Airport Parkway and I buy my flexi ticket from there if I am using that station for the month.

In June this year I had my flexi ticket from Parkway to London but needed to board from Luton. Train staff advised me to simply buy a return from Luton to Parkway and then I will be covered for the whole journey to London and back.

I had ticket inspector check my tickets mid way to London and promptly treat me like a fare dodging passenger as I did not tap in my flexi card and as such claimed I had no valid ticket for the journey. He expected me to alight at Parkway, go down to the front, tap in and get the next train.

To me it was simple, I had a single from Luton to Parkway and then my season ticket to cover me to London. Upon exit at London I would tap out and that would deduct a ticket from my flexi season ticket. Considering it is St Pancras International, there is lots of station staff standing by the barriers and no way of getting through without tapping.

No amount of explanation to the inspector could work and I got written up and he said I would hear from head office. Fast forward to today and finally have a letter in the post for an intention to prosecute. Wording states "I did enter a train for the purpose for the purpose of travelling on the railway, and upon inspection l, did not produce a valid ticket entitling travel".

Am I crazy or can I explain my way out of this without a fine or court appearance?

 

[Bletchleyite]

You indeed do have to activate a Flexi Season ticket to use it; if you don't activate it then you are travelling without a valid ticket. If not wanting to do so at a gateline, you can use the National Rail Smartcard Manager App to do it from your phone.

With regard to replying to the letter, if you could post a copy here with all personal details and reference numbers obscured we can advise accordingly.

 

[Bilsky123]

You indeed do have to activate a Flexi Season ticket to use it. If not wanting to do so at a gateline, you can use the National Rail Smartcard Manager App to do it from your phone.

Yes I found out later about the app and the activating a ticket on there, didn’t know that feature existed!. So why couldn’t the inspector tell me about going onto the app and activating the ticket for the day instead of writing me up? He saw I had a season ticket on there just that it wasn’t activated for the day.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 5 Nov 2025 ==

You indeed do have to activate a Flexi Season ticket to use it; if you don't activate it then you are travelling without a valid ticket. If not wanting to do so at a gateline, you can use the National Rail Smartcard Manager App to do it from your phone.

With regard to replying to the letter, if you could post a copy here with all personal details and reference numbers obscured we can advise accordingly.

Thank you I will post the letter shortly

 

[Bletchleyite]

Yes I found out later about the app and the activating a ticket on there, didn’t know that feature existed!. So why couldn’t the inspector tell me about going onto the app and activating the ticket for the day instead of writing me up? He saw I had a season ticket on there just that it wasn’t activated for the day.

Because an obvious way to evade a fare would then be to carry a flexi season and only activate when challenged? This is how they will see it - that you bought a short fare to get through the barriers and would activate the flexi season day only if caught.

 

[Bilsky123]

You indeed do have to activate a Flexi Season ticket to use it; if you don't activate it then you are travelling without a valid ticket. If not wanting to do so at a gateline, you can use the National Rail Smartcard Manager App to do it from your phone.

With regard to replying to the letter, if you could post a copy here with all personal details and reference numbers obscured we can advise accordingly.

 

[jumble]

I will keep this as factual as I can to try and get some opinions on if I have a case or not against my failed ticket inspection.

I travel usually from Luton to London 3x a week. I have a flexi season ticket covering these journeys.

Occasionally I also travel from Luton Airport Parkway and I buy my flexi ticket from there if I am using that station for the month.

In June this year I had my flexi ticket from Parkway to London but needed to board from Luton. Train staff advised me to simply buy a return from Luton to Parkway and then I will be covered for the whole journey to London and back.

I had ticket inspector check my tickets mid way to London and promptly treat me like a fare dodging passenger as I did not tap in my flexi card and as such claimed I had no valid ticket for the journey. He expected me to alight at Parkway, go down to the front, tap in and get the next train.

To me it was simple, I had a single from Luton to Parkway and then my season ticket to cover me to London. Upon exit at London I would tap out and that would deduct a ticket from my flexi season ticket. Considering it is St Pancras International, there is lots of station staff standing by the barriers and no way of getting through without tapping.

No amount of explanation to the inspector could work and I got written up and he said I would hear from head office. Fast forward to today and finally have a letter in the post for an intention to prosecute. Wording states "I did enter a train for the purpose for the purpose of travelling on the railway, and upon inspection l, did not produce a valid ticket entitling travel".

Am I crazy or can I explain my way out of this without a fine or court appearance?

I can get through the barriers at St Pancras International after 09.00 any day I want with my Over60 or by tapping a credit card and incurring a maximum fare

 

[Haywain]

I can get through the barriers at St Pancras International after 09.00 any day I want with my Over60 or by tapping a credit card and incurring a maximum fare

What's that got to do with the OP's problem?

 

[John R]

What's that got to do with the OP's problem?

As I read it, it’s challenging the OPs assertion that they would have to tap out their flexi card at St P and thus activate the day’s travel. Ie they could use other ways to get out which mean the flexi ticket remains not activated.

 

[Wallsendmag]

You should have activated your Flexi Season before boarding the train via the Smartcard Manager App or left the train at the start of the Flexi

Yes I found out later about the app and the activating a ticket on there, didn’t know that feature existed!. So why couldn’t the inspector tell me about going onto the app and activating the ticket for the day instead of writing me up? He saw I had a season ticket on there just that it wasn’t activated for the day.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 5 Nov 2025 ==


Thank you I will post the letter shortly

Because thats the process laid out for people travelling without an activated Flexi Season.