Short-faring letter West Midlands Trains

[zoomtrus]

I've been entirely idiotic and would really appreciate any advice you can. I was caught a few months ago with a short-fared ticket and told that there would be an investigation. I have been buying short-fared tickets for a long time now, 2/3 days per week for a few years, and whilst I didn't admit that during the chat with the prosecuting officer, it is easily seen in my account. Quite frankly I'm terrified and would appreciate any advice that can be given. I haven't been able to sleep thinking about and just want to pay an out of court settlement on the amount I owe.

I discovered the letter today but unfortunately only have a few days to respond as it arrived a week ago. Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated. Here's what I received:



I've been making the same journey ever since the incident and obviously pay full fare every time now. Is it worth me mentioning this on the letter? I am happy to make the full payment upfront if needed, is this something I should make clear in the letter also? Thanks in advance for any help you can give.

 

[Gloster]

If they offer you an out of court settlement, which is possible despite the number of incidents that they could find on your record, they will expect it to be paid in full within a week or two of the offer being made. Normal practice is to calculate it on the full Anytime Single fare for each and every journey made without the correct ticket; that is two fares, one out and one back, for a Return ticket. No allowance will be made for what you did pay or any reduction to which you may be entitled. They then add their investigation costs, which usually start at £150.

I somewhat doubt that saying you aren’t breaking the law anymore will incline them to leniency, particularly as you only ceased when stopped. Do remember that it is their decision whether to offer you an out of court settlement, although they often do.

The experts may require other details to fully help you.

 

[Hadders]

Welcome to the forum!

From what you've told us it seems you've been evading your fares on an industrial scale over a long period of time. To be blunt if a case like this doesn't end up in court you have to wonder just how serious the level of offending has to be to end up in court. That said, West Midlands Trains are normally one of the 'better' train companies to deal with and they will usually offer an out of court settlement to people who co-operate with their investigation, and who haven't come to their attention before. Do be aware that you have no right to an out of court settlement, WMT could decide to prosecute you if they want to.

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

WMT are only asking you about the incident on the day when you were caught and my normal advice is to confine your reply to that date only as you are not required to incriminate yourself. WMT will almost certainly research your online ticket purchasing history and discover that you have been buying short tickets so you might want to consider telling them about this in your reply. If you don't tell them it's possible they will contact you about them at a future date.

If you are offered a settlement expect to have to pay the cost of the fares avoided at the full Anytime rate with no credit for the short tickets you did purchase. You will also need to pay an admin feee, normally around £175 for WMT. You will need to be in a position to pay the settlement in full within a few days of it being offered, payment in installments isn't allowed.

If you post a copy of your draft reply in this thread forum members will be happy to proof read it for you.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

@zoomtrus. Welcome to the forum. What were these journey(s) where you didn't have the right ticket(s)? And, on how many occasions did you short fare? If it was indeed several hundred times, it could prove to be a tad expensive to resolve. The rail company will want paying!

 

[zoomtrus]

The journeys were from Duddeston into Birmingham when they should've been from Erdington a few stops further down. I appreciate they will want paying and I am willing to pay it immediately as would be required. Just don't need it to court and willing to resolve anyway otherwise.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 4 Aug 2024 ==

Here is my drafted letter. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated and thanks so much for all the advice so far:


Dear XXX,

I want to offer my sincerest apologies for the incident on Wednesday, 22 May 2024. It was a foolish mistake, and I take full responsibility for my actions.

I am very concerned that my poor judgment could affect my future employment. Therefore, I kindly request the opportunity to settle this matter out of court. I am committed to resolving this situation and have calculated the total cost I owe from my ticketing history, which is XXX. I am ready to pay this amount, including any additional administrative costs incurred by the train company, as soon as possible.

I assure you that I have learned a valuable lesson from this incident, and it will not happen again.

Yours faithfully,

 

[Hadders]

Let WMT calculate what you owe rather than suggesting an amount.

The letter needs to be a bit more sincere in my view. It comes across as being all about you not wanting to lose your job, that’s of no interest to WMT.

See what other forum members suggest by way of amendments.

 

[MotCO]

The fare from Erdington to Birmingham Stations is £3.50 single at current rates. 2 or 3 times a week for say 45 weeks a year for 3 years is around £3,000 for a return journey.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

The fare from Erdington to Birmingham Stations is £3.50 single at current rates. 2 or 3 times a week for say 45 weeks a year for 3 years is around £3,000 for a return journey.

Is there an argument that the unpaid fare(s) due should only be calculated from Erdington to/from Duddeston?

 

[John R]

Is there an argument that the unpaid fare(s) due should only be calculated from Erdington to/from Duddeston?

It’ll be what WMR decide to offer, and I wouldn’t advise arguing with them as to what is appropriate.

 

[WesternLancer]

Let WMT calculate what you owe rather than suggesting an amount.

The letter needs to be a bit more sincere in my view. It comes across as being all about you not wanting to lose your job, that’s of no interest to WMT.

See what other forum members suggest by way of amendments.

Agree with this.

Also needs to end with eg ‘would like to ask if they would sympathetically consider this request to settle the matter without court action’ or similar wording.