SWR Prosecution for Short Faring

[riptide_5]

Hi All,

I have just received an email from SWR prosecutions department letting me know about my short faring. I was caught short faring from Clapham junction to Waterloo on 30th April and my journey is west Byfleet to Waterloo. They have looked at my history and I have done this 42 times which is very stupid of me I know. I’m just wanting to know how to respond to the email as I am willing to pay for my mistake and since then have purchased a full ticket.

 

[Titfield]

I have copied below the advice @Hadders provided to a recent and similar case slightly modified to suit your circumstances.

I'm sure you're aware that this is a very serious situation. It appears that you have been evading your fares on an industrial scale over a sustained period of time and if
something like this doesn't end up in court you do have to wonder exactly how serious an offence needs to be to end up in court. That said I do believe there is a reasonable chance of SWR agreeing to an out of court settlement if you co-operate with them.

SWR already have details of your online ticket purchasing history so I suggest being totally honest with them if you want to keep the matter out of court. I suggest researching your online account to check how many times you have done this and writing you a short, concise reply to them confirming the number of journeys you made and include the following:

- 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

If you're offered a settlement SWR will likely want you to pay the full Anytime Single fare for every journey (with no credit given for the invalid tickets you did purchase) in addition to an admin fee, typically at least £150, to reflect their costs in dealing with the case. If you are offered a settlement you will need to be in a position to pay it in full within a few days - payment in instalments isn’t normally allowed. An out of court settlement might appear to be a fine, but it isn't and you won't have a criminal record as a result of accepting one.

Feel free to post your draft reply in this thread and forum members will be happy to proof read it for you.

 

[somethingsgone]

Hi All,

I have just received an email from SWR prosecutions department letting me know about my short faring. I was caught short faring from Clapham junction to Waterloo on 30th April and my journey is west Byfleet to Waterloo. They have looked at my history and I have done this 42 times which is very stupid of me I know. I’m just wanting to know how to respond to the email as I am willing to pay for my mistake and since then have purchased a full ticket.

Hi, any update on this?

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

Hi, any update on this?

I fear I may be in a similar situation.

 

[Gloster]

Hi, any update on this?

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


I fear I may be in a similar situation.

If you have a problem please start your own thread. No two problems are identical and good advice for one may be advice for another.