Thameslink - Caught short ticketing

[gracemasig]

Hi All, On Friday 16th February I was stopped at the barriers leaving Luton station with a short return ticket from Luton to Luton Airport Parkway, even though I was travelling from Luton to Farringdon and back.
The inspector took my details and also asked to see my Trainline account which showed more short tickets. This occurred around 2/3 times a week from early November to early February. I was in financial difficulty at the time but I now know that this is wrong, and since that date, have paid full price for my train tickets into Farringdon and back.

Please find the letter attached. They do only ask about the one instance on the letter so I'm not sure whether to address the rest of the instances.
I'd greatly appreciate some advice on the best way to go about this.

 

[30907]

There are plenty of examples of suitable replies on here, and you are welcome to post a draft for our comments.

As they have only mentioned the one occasion, reply admitting that, but don't say it was the only time (etc).

BTW don't say "I now know this was wrong" - I trust you knew before you were caught - and don't ask AI to help.

 

[jumble]

Hi All, On Friday 16th February I was stopped at the barriers leaving Luton station with a short return ticket from Luton to Luton Airport Parkway, even though I was travelling from Luton to Farringdon and back.
The inspector took my details and also asked to see my Trainline account which showed more short tickets. This occurred around 2/3 times a week from early November to early February. I was in financial difficulty at the time but I now know that this is wrong, and since that date, have paid full price for my train tickets into Farringdon and back.

Please find the letter attached. They do only ask about the one instance on the letter so I'm not sure whether to address the rest of the instances.
I'd greatly appreciate some advice on the best way to go about this.

It is not particularly relevant to your case but it may help others in future to consider admitting things that Thameslink don't know on web forums when supplying Thameslink with the date of the incident , the date of the letter and the stations that you were travelling from and what you paid for and where you were stopped.

 

[Hadders]

Welcome to the forum!

My normal advice is to answer the questions asked, and not to volunteer any additional information. You are not required to incriminate yourself.

GTR will almost certainly offer you an out of court settlement in respect of the incident where you were caught. It is possible that they might get in touch with you at a future date to ask you about the other dates, if they've bothered to research your ticket purchasing history.

 

[gracemasig]

Thank you for all your advice.

Please find my drafted response below and let me know your thoughts:


Dear Sir/Madam


Reference: XXXXXX

I am responding to the letter dated 22nd March 2024 regarding the notice I received on the 16th February 2024 at Luton Station. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to respond.

I acknowledge that on the 16th February, I travelled without a valid ticket. I want to sincerely apologise for my actions, understanding the gravity of the situation and its impact on Thameslink's railway service. I have learned from this incident, and I understand how evading fares impact the service and incur additional costs.

I am also remorseful for the unfairness of my actions especially as it is a burden to those who diligently pay their fares.

I am ashamed of my actions, and I take full responsibility for them. I can assure you that I will never avoid paying the correct fare in future.

I would be very grateful if you would consider offering a settlement to avoid court action, covering the outstanding fares and administrative costs as quoted by Thameslink


I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,
XXXXXX

 

[Haywain]

I am also remorseful for the unfairness of my actions especially as it is a burden to those who diligently pay their fares.

I am ashamed of my actions, and I take full responsibility for them. I can assure you that I will never avoid paying the correct fare in future.

These lines effectively say the same thing. I would leave out the first of them (it also looks a little AI generated).

 

[gracemasig]

Hi all, it’s been over a month and I have still not heard back from GTR. How long do they usually take to respond?

 

[island]

Whilst they usually write within 4-6 weeks, they have up to 6 months.

 

[FenMan]

Whilst they usually write within 4-6 weeks, they have up to 6 months.

The OP has not offered an explanation why, when holding a valid ticket to exit a gated station (Luton), they were pulled over by a member of railway staff who then observed they'd made other ticket purchases to the next station up the line towards London. And, when confronted with the evidence, they caved in instead of fronting it up. It strongly smells of a sting operation.

But GTR still need to ask ticket retailers to produce a history of which, and how many, tickets have been purchased by the OP. Perhaps more than one retailer is involved?

Given GTR know where the OP lives, and given they know tickets have been purchased to travel between Luton and Luton Parkway, the issue they will consider is, what was the OP's actual journey?

You've said you were travelling to Farringdon, a fully gated station. GTR will only work out your actual journeys when they receive your full purchase history.

So, sit tight, and be prepared.

 

[jumble]

The OP has not offered an explanation why, when holding a valid ticket to exit a gated station (Luton), they were pulled over by a member of railway staff who then observed they'd made other ticket purchases to the next station up the line towards London. And, when confronted with the evidence, they caved in instead of fronting it up. It strongly smells of a sting operation.

But GTR still need to ask ticket retailers to produce a history of which, and how many, tickets have been purchased by the OP. Perhaps more than one retailer is involved?

Given GTR know where the OP lives, and given they know tickets have been purchased to travel between Luton and Luton Parkway, the issue they will consider is, what was the OP's actual journey?

You've said you were travelling to Farringdon, a fully gated station. GTR will only work out your actual journeys when they receive your full purchase history.

So, sit tight, and be prepared.

Farringdon is not fully gated if one is taking the Underground or Elizabeth line onwards

 

[gracemasig]

Response received. Thought I’d pay a lot more considering the number of journeys made. Thank you so much for your help

 

[Haywain]

GTR tend to be easily the most reasonable train company in calculating what they ask for in settlements, as this reflects. I trust you will be paying the amount requested promptly and not repeating the behaviour that led to this.

 

[gracemasig]

I have indeed made the payment and learnt my lesson.
Thank you

 

[notmyrealname]

That's good news for you, must be a relief. Thank you for letting us know the outcome, it's always useful to know what happens with cases on here.