Thameslink short fare

[ni2001]

Good evening,

I am in a huge panic as I was caught paying for only enough of my journey to get me through the exit barriers. (Travelled from Finsbury Park to Hitchin, paid from Stevenage).

I understand that Gavio will go through my purchase history and look to fine me for the full fare of each short journey. I have two questions;

1) Some of the short journeys on my Trainline account were legit short journeys, how would I ensure these don’t get tangled up with the other fraudulent ones if possible?

2) in terms of full fare, I have a valid railcard and have done for 7 years. Would this be considered when estimating the settlement amount?

For context, I’ve done this approximately 30 times over a 1 year period, after a look at my Trainline app.

Thanks in advance, this is a very helpful forum. P.S I only do this out of necessity, not because I don’t believe in the law and the right of companies to charge fares etc. I am looking to move in order to cut out the need for this journey.

 

[AndroidBango]

1) you may find it hard to persuade Thameslink that some of these fares were genuine if they match the pattern of short faring - but you should present any evidence you have.

2) you will almost certainly be asked to pay the Anytime single fare for Hitchin to Finsbury Park. They won't take into account any fare you have paid, and I don't expect they will offer the railcard discount on those fares, either.

 

[ni2001]

1) you may find it hard to persuade Thameslink that some of these fares were genuine if they match the pattern of short faring - but you should present any evidence you have.

2) you will almost certainly be asked to pay the Anytime single fare for Hitchin to Finsbury Park. They won't take into account any fare you have paid, and I don't expect they will offer the railcard discount on those fares, either.

Many thanks for this. Do you know what would constitute as proof?

 

[AlterEgo]

Many thanks for this. Do you know what would constitute as proof?

Whatever you can find. Can you give an example of the short journeys which are legitimate, and the reason for travel? Perhaps we can then suggest something.

 

[Hadders]

Welcome to the forum.

Govia Thameslink Railway are normally reasonable to deal with in cases like this - if you were dealing with Transport for London then you'd be looking at a trip to the Magistrates Court.

To answer your specific questions:

1) Some of the short journeys on my Trainline account were legit short journeys, how would I ensure these don’t get tangled up with the other fraudulent ones if possible?

I think you might need to ne pragmatic. GTR are entitled to prosecute you in the Magistrates Court if they want to. They are normally willing to settle out of court if you co-operate with them but if they think you're 'messing them aoround' then they would just prosecute.

Is there a pattern to the legitimate journeys, eg they are made at a different time of day to the journeys with invalid tickets? If not you might struggle to convince them.

2) in terms of full fare, I have a valid railcard and have done for 7 years. Would this be considered when estimating the settlement amount?

The will use the undiscounted Anytime fare, with no credit given for the invalid tickets you did purchase. In addition they will charge an admin fee, typically around £150.
Sometimes they will onky ask about the case on the day you were caught but increasingly we are seeing them searching ticket purchasing history.

For context, I’ve done this approximately 30 times over a 1 year period, after a look at my Trainline app.

Many people would argue that some one who evades paying the correct fare 30 times in a year should be prosecuted. I would grab a settlement from GTR with both hands if you want to keep the matter out of court as you aren't in a strong position.

 

[ni2001]

Thanks for this. I don’t think I will bother trying to prove the handful of legitimate journeys in case they feel I am messing them around and just aim for a settlement straight away. Thanks again.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 22 Feb 2025 ==

Welcome to the forum.

Govia Thameslink Railway are normally reasonable to deal with in cases like this - if you were dealing with Transport for London then you'd be looking at a trip to the Magistrates Court.

To answer your specific questions:


I think you might need to ne pragmatic. GTR are entitled to prosecute you in the Magistrates Court if they want to. They are normally willing to settle out of court if you co-operate with them but if they think you're 'messing them aoround' then they would just prosecute.

Is there a pattern to the legitimate journeys, eg they are made at a different time of day to the journeys with invalid tickets? If not you might struggle to convince them.


The will use the undiscounted Anytime fare, with no credit given for the invalid tickets you did purchase. In addition they will charge an admin fee, typically around £150.
Sometimes they will onky ask about the case on the day you were caught but increasingly we are seeing them searching ticket purchasing history.


Many people would argue that some one who evades paying the correct fare 30 times in a year should be prosecuted. I would grab a settlement from GTR with both hands if you want to keep the matter out of court as you aren't in a strong position.

Sorry, another question, how likely are govia to ignore an offer for a full settlement? If my position is so weak, is it worth considering a solicitor? My understanding from reading other posts is that solicitors can cost upwards of many settlements but if there’s a strong chance Govia aren’t interested in that, would I be stupid not to consider external help?

potentially this doesn’t help at all, but for context I’m 23 years old, I don’t commit/ have never committed any other petty crime etc… I would be devastated to have a criminal record and honestly would do anything to avoid it.

 

[Hadders]

There’s no need to use a solicitor at this stage, I’m not aware of a case where GTR haven’t settled as long as you do-operate with them.

GTR will write to you in the next few weeks. When the letter comes post a redacted coly in this thread along with your draft reply and we can assist with proof reading it for you.

Should your reply to GTR not result in a favourable outcome then that is the point when I would be looking to use a solicitor. Although stressful to you, your case is straightforward, they deal with loads of them.

 

[ni2001]

Great thanks, hopefully it won’t be too long until I get the letter and I will post in this thread when I do. Have a good weekend.

 

[WesternLancer]

Great thanks, hopefully it won’t be too long until I get the letter and I will post in this thread when I do. Have a good weekend.

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