Short Fare / Railcard Prosecution

[WesternLancer]

You can ask, but (1) you need to phrase it right and not have it seem like a demand, and (2) fully expect them to say no. But if you don’t ask you don’t get. Shy bairns get nowt, as my missus likes to say

Yes, I think it's the tone / balance of the request that would be key - but the OP is not in a strong position to negotiate with them - as a persistent evader they will want there to be an element of the punitive about this (even if it is not via the courts)

@lonelyjam92 could post draft wording of such a request here if they want views on it.

 

[odetoboy]

Given the £12 minimum fare, would a railcard be of any use anyway.

Like others I can’t see them agreeing to discount the fare for a railcard though.

say in the hypothetical chance that they would offer the discount, doesnt that depend on if OP has been travelling before 10am or not though. railcards only have that minimum in the morning peaks, or at least i hope thats the case

 

[WesternLancer]

say in the hypothetical chance that they would offer the discount, doesnt that depend on if OP has been travelling before 10am or not though. railcards only have that minimum in the morning peaks, or at least i hope thats the case

yes, I don't think we know enough about the actual journey and time of travel to clarify this

 

[lonelyjam92]

Hi all, been a busy week but please see my draft reply below. Please let me know if any feedback - I really appreciate all your advice and support as always:

Hi _________,

Thank you for your patience while I reviewed the spreadsheet.

I want to begin by being completely honest - there is no valid explanation for the majority of the highlighted trips. For those marked in lavender, I had naively been travelling by purchasing separate tickets for each end of the journey. I now fully understand how wrong and serious that is. When I was stopped in March 2025, it was a wake-up call. My heart sank, and from that moment on, I stopped immediately and have only purchased valid, appropriate tickets since.

For example, where there are tickets on a given day for XXXXX-XXXXX (return) and XXXXX-XXXXX (return), that would have been part of a full return journey from XXXXX to XXXXX (as in trip 3/4). Similarly, when there is a ticket involving XXXXX or XXXXX, it would have been for a return trip from XXXXX to XXXXX (as in trip 22/23/24).

I accept that I made repeated and serious errors in judgment. I cannot express enough how sorry and embarrassed I am. I’ve tried to be fully transparent with you throughout and hope that counts for something.

There are, however, a few trips (mostly highlighted in amber) that I believe were legitimate. For example:

• Trips 175, 181, and 182 were genuine single journeys, with a change at Richmond to continue on the District Line.
• Trip 187 was a valid single journey from London Waterloo to Staines. I’m unsure why this was flagged - could you clarify?
• Similarly, trips 365, 366, 381, 386, 387, 388, 398, and 409 were all legitimate.

As mentioned in my previous email, I take full responsibility for the situation and am extremely grateful for the opportunity to explain. If possible, I would sincerely appreciate the chance to settle this matter out of court. I am more than willing to pay the outstanding fares for the relevant period, along with any administrative fees you deem appropriate.

I also wanted to gently ask whether my valid possession of a railcard during this time might be taken into consideration when calculating any settlement. I completely understand the seriousness of my actions, and I am not trying to excuse them in any way - only to ask that this factor be included if you feel it’s fair and appropriate.

Please accept my sincerest apologies once again. I truly hope you can see from my recent travel history that this will not happen again, and I am very grateful for your time and consideration.

Best regards,

 

[WesternLancer]

Hi all, been a busy week but please see my draft reply below. Please let me know if any feedback - I really appreciate all your advice and support as always:

Hi _________,

Thank you for your patience while I reviewed the spreadsheet.

I want to begin by being completely honest - there is no valid explanation for the majority of the highlighted trips. For those marked in lavender, I had naively been travelling by purchasing separate tickets for each end of the journey. I now fully understand how wrong and serious that is. When I was stopped in March 2025, it was a wake-up call. My heart sank, and from that moment on, I stopped immediately and have only purchased valid, appropriate tickets since.

For example, where there are tickets on a given day for XXXXX-XXXXX (return) and XXXXX-XXXXX (return), that would have been part of a full return journey from XXXXX to XXXXX (as in trip 3/4). Similarly, when there is a ticket involving XXXXX or XXXXX, it would have been for a return trip from XXXXX to XXXXX (as in trip 22/23/24).

I accept that I made repeated and serious errors in judgment. I cannot express enough how sorry and embarrassed I am. I’ve tried to be fully transparent with you throughout and hope that counts for something.

There are, however, a few trips (mostly highlighted in amber) that I believe were legitimate. For example:

• Trips 175, 181, and 182 were genuine single journeys, with a change at Richmond to continue on the District Line.
• Trip 187 was a valid single journey from London Waterloo to Staines. I’m unsure why this was flagged - could you clarify?
• Similarly, trips 365, 366, 381, 386, 387, 388, 398, and 409 were all legitimate.

As mentioned in my previous email, I take full responsibility for the situation and am extremely grateful for the opportunity to explain. If possible, I would sincerely appreciate the chance to settle this matter out of court. I am more than willing to pay the outstanding fares for the relevant period, along with any administrative fees you deem appropriate.

I also wanted to gently ask whether my valid possession of a railcard during this time might be taken into consideration when calculating any settlement. I completely understand the seriousness of my actions, and I am not trying to excuse them in any way - only to ask that this factor be included if you feel it’s fair and appropriate.

Please accept my sincerest apologies once again. I truly hope you can see from my recent travel history that this will not happen again, and I am very grateful for your time and consideration.

Best regards,

my immediate thought is is there anything you can do to substantiate the legit trips (or at least say to them what they were in a way that gives a clear reason why you bought a ticket to that destination) - eg was the destination a place that you can state is a place of work or a reason you can recall going there for - you'd have to list it out - maybe annotate the spreadsheet which you would attach to your reply - eg 'this was a legitimate journey I travelled to x to meet a friend who lives at xxx address' for example

 

[lonelyjam92]

Good idea, I'll try to add that. Thanks @WesternLancer - would you say the rest of my wording is okay?

 

[WesternLancer]

Good idea, I'll try to add that. Thanks @WesternLancer - would you say the rest of my wording is okay?

ref the rest nothing esp jumped out at me that seemed problematic - might be worth waiting to see if others have thoughts. When do you need to send it back to them by?

 

[SuspectUsual]

ref the rest nothing esp jumped out at me that seemed problematic - might be worth waiting to see if others have thoughts. When do you need to send it back to them by?

For those marked in lavender, I had naively been travelling by purchasing separate tickets for each end of the journey. I now fully understand how wrong and serious that is

I think the bit in bold italics has to be changed - are you really saying that before this you didn't realise it was wrong?!? And it wasn't naive, it was calculated and deliberate

Perhaps "For those marked in lavender, I had been travelling by purchasing separate tickets for each end of the journey, and I acknowledge this was wrong"

 

[lonelyjam92]

I think the bit in bold italics has to be changed - are you really saying that before this you didn't realise it was wrong?!? And it wasn't naive, it was calculated and deliberate

Perhaps "For those marked in lavender, I had been travelling by purchasing separate tickets for each end of the journey, and I acknowledge this was wrong"

Yep you're totally right, thanks for that @SuspectUsual

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 17 Jul 2025 ==

Hey all,

To keep you updated I just received the below email back:

Thank you for your email. Its contents have been noted and attached to your file.

Your case has been forwarded to the Prosecutions Manager to make the final decision regarding any further action SWR may take.

Please allow time for a response, typically via post, as this is a busy time for us.

Your railcard information is on file and will be seen by the Prosecutions Team when making their decision, but I can make no guarantees regarding the outcome of your case.

Thank you again for your assistance on this matter and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

 

[railopjhfcb]

Yep you're totally right, thanks for that @SuspectUsual

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 17 Jul 2025 ==

Hey all,

To keep you updated I just received the below email back:

Thank you for your email. Its contents have been noted and attached to your file.

Your case has been forwarded to the Prosecutions Manager to make the final decision regarding any further action SWR may take.

Please allow time for a response, typically via post, as this is a busy time for us.

Your railcard information is on file and will be seen by the Prosecutions Team when making their decision, but I can make no guarantees regarding the outcome of your case.

Thank you again for your assistance on this matter and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Hi, have you heard back since?

 

[signed]

Hi, have you heard back since?

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