Stopped by Ticket Inspector

[MotCO]

The Amazon warehouse is close to Byfleet & New Haw station. At certain times of the day, you wouldn’t think we were in the middle of a pandemic! The station is chaos! It wouldn’t surprise me, if that Station becomes gated before long!

There is also an Abellio bus garage near Byfleet & New Haw station, plus one at Battersea (close to Clapham Junction), so I thought s/he may be a bus driver. (Hence the possibility of not requiring a bus ticket or Oyster in London.)

 

[AlterEgo]

Just to add, fare evasion at Byfleet & New Haw is absolutely rife, paticularly this kind of fare evasion, so the inspectors dealing with it were even more likely to be suspicious.

I used to commute from West Byfleet, a nearly identical station right nextdoor - can confirm this line has a huge evasion problem.

OP, don't even waste time on a defence - just try to settle outside court.

 

[RunawayTrain]

I used to commute from West Byfleet, a nearly identical station right nextdoor - can confirm this line has a huge evasion problem.

OP, don't even waste time on a defence - just try to settle outside court.

Indeed, I've also used this station often, and have been met by teams of inspectors checking tickets.

 

[maniacmartin]

I try to give posters the benefit of the doubt, but I was almost certain the OP's story doesn't add up , before I even read the other replies. I wonder how many Waterloo gateline tickets OP has bought in the past. I suspect the TOC will suspect there are a fair few

 

[theironroad]

I try to give posters the benefit of the doubt, but I was almost certain the OP's story doesn't add up , before I even read the other replies. I wonder how many Waterloo gateline tickets OP has bought in the past. I suspect the TOC will suspect there are a fair few

Nothing new I'm afraid.

Before barriers were installed (and after the gates has stopped being used) at Waterloo and the platforms were open access, the ticket office staff knew when there was a revenue block on as the number of people turning up and buying a 'single to Vauxhall' went through the roof. Platform ticket sales were then suspended as well.

 

[Flange Squeal]

There is also an Abellio bus garage near Byfleet & New Haw station, plus one at Battersea (close to Clapham Junction), so I thought s/he may be a bus driver. (Hence the possibility of not requiring a bus ticket or Oyster in London.)

Abellio moved out of Byfleet in 2017.

 

[Bungle158]

The OP's spelling is consistently accurate, whilst the sentence construction almost appears to have bern purposely distorted.

This could of course, be down to an attempt at disguise; nonetheless, coupled with the inaccuracies in the 'story', perhaps something isn't quite right here.

Why anyone would want to troll a thread such as this is beyond me, but l have seen similar tactics on other forums. Interesting!

 

[Chriso]

Abellio moved out of Byfleet in 2017.

Falcon Buses & coaches took over the depot

The problem with the Waterloo to Woking stoppers is that it is all non commercial guards so they only chance of being caught is by an off chance revenue block or on board RPI. Weybridge & Walton On Thames are gated and staffed Mon - Fri morning & evening peak but other than that nothing between Surbiton and Woking

The same problems on the Surbiton to Guildford line but compounded by the open station @ London Road Guildford which is an easy walk in to town and as ungated avoids Guildford main gateline

 

[Flange Squeal]

The problem with the Waterloo to Woking stoppers is that it is all non commercial guards so they only chance of being caught is by an off chance revenue block or on board RPI. Weybridge & Walton On Thames are gated and staffed Mon - Fri morning & evening peak but other than that nothing between Surbiton and Woking

The same problems on the Surbiton to Guildford line but compounded by the open station @ London Road Guildford which is an easy walk in to town and as ungated avoids Guildford main gateline

Not strictly true - commercial guards from Waterloo, Woking, Farnham and Guildford all have some work on Woking stoppers and Guildford via Cobhams. I believe Staines commercial guards also work some of the 2Fs under normal circumstances, but not sure how much rostered work they have on them under the current Covid diagrams. Basingstoke also used to work them until very recently, however I think they might have lost their 455/456 work in a recent roster change.

 

[WesternLancer]

Not strictly true - commercial guards from Waterloo, Woking, Farnham and Guildford all have some work on Woking stoppers and Guildford via Cobhams. I believe Staines commercial guards also work some of the 2Fs under normal circumstances, but not sure how much rostered work they have on them under the current Covid diagrams. Basingstoke also used to work them until very recently, however I think they might have lost their 455/456 work in a recent roster change.

are on board revenue checks being done on SWR at the moment (covid)?

 

[Isaiah]

Unfortunately I've found that most rail staff I've come across are nowhere close to being understanding about genuine mistakes.

I would advise appealing it (since it is a genuine mistake), and if that doesn't work, just pay the fine.

Nothing more drastic than that will happen.

 

[Flange Squeal]

are on board revenue checks being done on SWR at the moment (covid)?

Depends on the individual Guard - some are, some aren't. Unsure what Revenue Protection staff are doing in terms of on-train, but I've certainly seen them active at stations.

 

[yorkie]

I would advise appealing it (since it is a genuine mistake), and if that doesn't work, just pay the fine.

I am not sure what there is to appeal; the customer has admitted guilt.

You do realise that if a prosecution is made under the Regulation of Railways Act, a fine would be in addition to a criminal record?

A better approach would be to settle the matter out of court.

 

[Isaiah]

I am not sure what there is to appeal; the customer has admitted guilt.

You do realise that if a prosecution is made under the Regulation of Railways Act, a fine would be in addition to a criminal record?

A better approach would be to settle the matter out of court.

Yes but it was a genuine mistake

Yes, I am aware. But unless they are just being extra stingy, I doubt they will actually prosecute him

 

[yorkie]

Yes but it was a genuine mistake

If the prosecution is under the Railway Byelaws, a mistake is not a valid defence.

If the prosecution is under the Regulation of Railway Act, then maybe a good solicitor could argue that there was no intent to avoid payment. If the matter cannot be resolved out of court, then I'd be appointing a very good solicitor if I was to argue that case.

Yes, I am aware. But unless they are just being extra stingy, I doubt they will actually prosecute him

I see no reason why they wouldn't prosecute for this? Such cases are prosecuted on a regular basis.

 

[Isaiah]

If the prosecution is under the Railway Byelaws, a mistake is not a valid defence.

If the prosecution is under the Regulation of Railway Act, then maybe a good solicitor could argue that there was no intent to avoid payment. If the matter cannot be resolved out of court, then I'd be appointing a very good solicitor if I was to argue that case.


I see no reason why they wouldn't prosecute for this? Such cases are prosecuted on a regular basis.

Fair enough

 

[AlterEgo]

Yes but it was a genuine mistake

Yes, I am aware. But unless they are just being extra stingy, I doubt they will actually prosecute him

You must be new here!

 

[T-Karmel]

are on board revenue checks being done on SWR at the moment (covid)?

Depends on the individual Guard - some are, some aren't. Unsure what Revenue Protection staff are doing in terms of on-train, but I've certainly seen them active at stations.

Yes, RPs work on trains resumed few weeks ago. Regarding Commercial Guards, it is exactly up to them how they feel about this.

 

[theironroad]

The OP's spelling is consistently accurate, whilst the sentence construction almost appears to have bern purposely distorted.

This could of course, be down to an attempt at disguise; nonetheless, coupled with the inaccuracies in the 'story', perhaps something isn't quite right here.

Why anyone would want to troll a thread such as this is beyond me, but l have seen similar tactics on other forums. Interesting!

Bit harsh.

I don't think that English is the OP's first language and may not be a totally confident English writer. Spell checkers /autocorrect on his device may help with spelling.

It was understandable and I've no reason to suspect that it wasn't genuine. However, I feel that he wasn't getting the responses he was hoping for so hasn't returned.

 

[Chriso]

Not strictly true - commercial guards from Waterloo, Woking, Farnham and Guildford all have some work on Woking stoppers and Guildford via Cobhams. I believe Staines commercial guards also work some of the 2Fs under normal circumstances, but not sure how much rostered work they have on them under the current Covid diagrams. Basingstoke also used to work them until very recently, however I think they might have lost their 455/456 work in a recent roster change.

I didn’t know that , good to hear and very interesting

 

[P Binnersley]

The OP's spelling is consistently accurate, whilst the sentence construction almost appears to have bern purposely distorted.

This could of course, be down to an attempt at disguise; nonetheless, coupled with the inaccuracies in the 'story', perhaps something isn't quite right here.

Why anyone would want to troll a thread such as this is beyond me, but l have seen similar tactics on other forums. Interesting!

I have a French friend and I used to check her essays. Her English is as good as mine, but when she was tired/stressed she reverted to French grammar. This could be the case here.

 

[Tomsik]

I'd suggest that the only part of the final sentence that most TOCs would be interested in after catching someone without a ticket is a settlement (whether involving a court or not) that is punitive enough to stop the person doing it again and having a valid ticket next time they travel.

"Genuine apology" and "promise not to..." add up to nothing in revenue protection books as they aren't worth uttering. Revenue protection officers on the frontline and in the back office processing evasion have literally heard every excuse in the book, heard stories of woe and then also endure being verbally and physically assaulted for the temerity of asking someone for a ticket.

I don't know whether we will hear anymore from the OP or the outcome, but in this case I think the chances of success in avoiding action are slight.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 27 Feb 2021 ==

Hi ,

Many thanks for all comments but I still waiting for that letter.
I buy ticket from Trainline App and again this is happened firs and last time never ever again I was soo much stressful about that situation.
I’m not can that person with many of f you think.
First lockdown I’m was working from 15 April to 12 June like Volunteer from 09:00-17:00 every day make free meals for NHS ( Felix Project ) we make 1 million free meals.
If I get criminal records my membership Swim of England is gone with is spend 2 years finished of Judge level 2 and again working like Volunteer Saturdays/ Sundays sometimes from 07:30am to 21:00 help with Galas .
That was soo much stupid my behaviour from myself... that Monday....
What I said to my kid when asking “why I not Judging next gala what happened Dad’s..?”
I feel soo guilty for that happened.
I just every single day waiting for that letter.

 

[theironroad]

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 27 Feb 2021 ==

Hi ,

Many thanks for all comments but I still waiting for that letter.
I buy ticket from Trainline App and again this is happened firs and last time never ever again I was soo much stressful about that situation.
I’m not can that person with many of f you think.
First lockdown I’m was working from 15 April to 12 June like Volunteer from 09:00-17:00 every day make free meals for NHS ( Felix Project ) we make 1 million free meals.
If I get criminal records my membership Swim of England is gone with is spend 2 years finished of Judge level 2 and again working like Volunteer Saturdays/ Sundays sometimes from 07:30am to 21:00 help with Galas .
That was soo much stupid my behaviour from myself... that Monday....
What I said to my kid when asking “why I not Judging next gala what happened Dad’s..?”
I feel soo guilty for that happened.
I just every single day waiting for that letter.

Thanks for update.

Until any letter comes there's not much you can do, so try not to stress about it too much.

 

[talldave]

Make sure you keep evidence of the precise time of the critical phone call.

 

[WesternLancer]

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 27 Feb 2021 ==

Hi ,

Many thanks for all comments but I still waiting for that letter.
I buy ticket from Trainline App and again this is happened firs and last time never ever again I was soo much stressful about that situation.
I’m not can that person with many of f you think.
First lockdown I’m was working from 15 April to 12 June like Volunteer from 09:00-17:00 every day make free meals for NHS ( Felix Project ) we make 1 million free meals.
If I get criminal records my membership Swim of England is gone with is spend 2 years finished of Judge level 2 and again working like Volunteer Saturdays/ Sundays sometimes from 07:30am to 21:00 help with Galas .
That was soo much stupid my behaviour from myself... that Monday....
What I said to my kid when asking “why I not Judging next gala what happened Dad’s..?”
I feel soo guilty for that happened.
I just every single day waiting for that letter.

Thanks for update Tomsik - good luck with this. When you get the letter feel free to come back here for help with the possible reply you will need to send. You will have to pay a sum, but there is a fair chance of avoiding court. I am sure there are many people who appreciate your volunteering efforts.

 

[Haywain]

Make sure you keep evidence of the precise time of the critical phone call.

I don’t see how this will make any difference. It doesn’t provide a valid defence in court and will be of no interest to the train operator.

 

[WesternLancer]

I don’t see how this will make any difference. It doesn’t provide a valid defence in court and will be of no interest to the train operator.

but might it not help make a difference between a case handler deciding, on the balance of probabilities, to not send the case to court but to be happier to accept a settlement? And this should be the OP's objective to achieve, ie to keep it out of court.

I assume these decisions are taken by staff using some basis of guidance on which way to go and some element of personal judgment in their work - or otherwise why do it at all and not just send every case to court, or offer every case an out of court settlement option - and those of us on this forum (unless we work in that role or have done so) cannot know how they are handled.

Though in this case as I have posted before: an apology, promise not to do it again and a request to settle may well be all that is needed, or all that is worth doing.

 

[MotCO]

I don’t see how this will make any difference. It doesn’t provide a valid defence in court and will be of no interest to the train operator.

Surely it will help explain that there was no intent to short-change the railway, but circumstances had changed as the journey evolved. I recall a similar thread some time ago, possibly in the region of Bath, where the passenger's journey changed during the journey.

However, since the OP bought his original ticket on Trainline, the question that arises is why did he not buy a supplementary ticket on Trainline to cover the section between Clapham Junction and New Haw whilst he was on the train. Four possible answers: 1) no phone signal; 2) the OP thought that the cost of a separate ticket might cost more than an add-on to the original ticket; 3) he was stopped by the RPI before he could do this; and 4) he did not think of this option.

 

[221129]

might it not help make a difference between a case handler deciding, on the balance of probabilities, to not send the case to court but to be happier to accept a settlement?

Not really.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 28 Feb 2021 ==

Surely it will help explain that there was no intent to short-change the railway, but circumstances had changed as the journey evolved.

All it would show is the time of and the duration of a call.

 

[MotCO]

Not really.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 28 Feb 2021 ==


All it would show is the time of and the duration of a call.

And the caller's number which could be demonstrated to be his manager's.