Thameslink Short Fare

[redpanda27]

Hello,

I am 17 years old and was caught last week purchasing a ticket from letchworth to hitchin, and then another from brent cross to west hampstead. I had intended to change platforms at st pancras and take another thameslink train to west hampstead.

The ticket inspector came at around stevenage but i saw him coming and purchased a ticket letchworth to st pancras whilst on the train. However when he scanned it it notified him that it was only purchased 1 minute ago and he then asked all the questions where they take your details and stuff. He asked why i didn’t have a valid ticket at the time of travel and i said i didn’t want to pay the full price (which was probably a bad thing to say because now I can’t claim that it was a genuine mistake).

I have previously been caught purchasing a child ticket soon after I turned 16 in 2023 and was fined at Stevenage station but it was a genuine mistake as I thought 16 year olds could still use children’s tickets and i appealed on the grounds that I had recently been in intensive care in hospital a few weeks prior and was not thinking clearly (which was true). I didn’t have to pay the fine because of the appeal but the ticket inspector last week mentioned that I have been fined before (which must have been referring to this). Will they be more harsh with their punishments as they have previous records of me?

I haven’t short fared before other than I had a season ticket letchworth to hitchin to get to school, and i used that a few times to get onto the train at letchworth, and then just bought a ticket Farringdon to st pancras to get off in london. Can they tell if I did that by looking at my purchase history? On the days i did that i only bought the london ticket as the letchworth/hitchin ticket had been purchased months before.

The inspector gave me a slip of paper and said they would write to me and I have to explain what happened, but I havnt received this yet. Also will anyone be able to tell from the outside of the letter that it’s about a fine because i dont want my parents to find out.

Also I have read about some people getting very large fines and even criminal records which i DO NOT want as I hope to go to medical school next year, and you can’t be accepted with a criminal record and I have worked so hard and I don’t want my chances to be ruined by a stupid train ticket. I am willing to pay a fine even if it is £1000 as I do have enough money from working 3 part time jobs but i do not want it to be taken to court or to receive a criminal record.

What should I do right now? Should I write to them or wait until I receive a letter. Also will I need to tell my parents at all? And how long does it usually take for them to send the letter. And will they be more lenient with me considering I am not yet an adult?

Also I have a 16/17 railcard which i have used on all of these purchases but this is a valid railcard so i don’t think that it matters

 

[WesternLancer]

Hello,

I am 17 years old and was caught last week purchasing a ticket from letchworth to hitchin, and then another from brent cross to west hampstead. I had intended to change platforms at st pancras and take another thameslink train to west hampstead.

The ticket inspector came at around stevenage but i saw him coming and purchased a ticket letchworth to st pancras whilst on the train. However when he scanned it it notified him that it was only purchased 1 minute ago and he then asked all the questions where they take your details and stuff. He asked why i didn’t have a valid ticket at the time of travel and i said i didn’t want to pay the full price (which was probably a bad thing to say because now I can’t claim that it was a genuine mistake).

I have previously been caught purchasing a child ticket soon after I turned 16 in 2023 and was fined at Stevenage station but it was a genuine mistake as I thought 16 year olds could still use children’s tickets and i appealed on the grounds that I had recently been in intensive care in hospital a few weeks prior and was not thinking clearly (which was true). I didn’t have to pay the fine because of the appeal but the ticket inspector last week mentioned that I have been fined before (which must have been referring to this). Will they be more harsh with their punishments as they have previous records of me?

I haven’t short fared before other than I had a season ticket letchworth to hitchin to get to school, and i used that a few times to get onto the train at letchworth, and then just bought a ticket Farringdon to st pancras to get off in london. Can they tell if I did that by looking at my purchase history? On the days i did that i only bought the london ticket as the letchworth/hitchin ticket had been purchased months before.

The inspector gave me a slip of paper and said they would write to me and I have to explain what happened, but I havnt received this yet. Also will anyone be able to tell from the outside of the letter that it’s about a fine because i dont want my parents to find out.

Also I have read about some people getting very large fines and even criminal records which i DO NOT want as I hope to go to medical school next year, and you can’t be accepted with a criminal record and I have worked so hard and I don’t want my chances to be ruined by a stupid train ticket. I am willing to pay a fine even if it is £1000 as I do have enough money from working 3 part time jobs but i do not want it to be taken to court or to receive a criminal record.

What should I do right now? Should I write to them or wait until I receive a letter. Also will I need to tell my parents at all? And how long does it usually take for them to send the letter. And will they be more lenient with me considering I am not yet an adult?

Also I have a 16/17 railcard which i have used on all of these purchases but this is a valid railcard so i don’t think that it matters

Welcome, you will get help here to sort out what has happened

But you have made some serious 'errors of judgment' in what you have been doing especially if you want to pursue a medical career. You need to stop doing this. You will appreciate that when people go to get medical help they want to know the people treating them are 100% honest and trustworthy - so it's taken seriously as you now realise.

But to turn to your questions.

Will they be more harsh with their punishments as they have previous records of me?

Hard to know but it does not help.

then just bought a ticket Farringdon to st pancras to get off in london. Can they tell if I did that by looking at my purchase history?

If you bought them on line yes - no one would realistically buy a ticket for that journey in that way so it arouses suspicion and they may well notice it

Also will anyone be able to tell from the outside of the letter that it’s about a fine because i dont want my parents to find out.

Probably not but if you are under 18 and you told them that they may write to your parents anyway as you are a minor

What should I do right now? Should I write to them or wait until I receive a letter.

Do not write to them. Wait for them to write to you.

Also will I need to tell my parents at all?

That's up to you - it might work out better to tell your parents at a suitable time, esp if the letter might get sent to them not you, anyway. But only you know how your parents would react to being told. Hopefully they would want to help you resolve this and that's a good reason to tell them.

And how long does it usually take for them to send the letter.

You are probably looking at weeks or even months before they write - could easily be 6 to 8 weeks before a letter is sent out - see below example

And will they be more lenient with me considering I am not yet an adult?

Yes, this is more likely to be the case than if you were over 18
--------------------

In terms of the timescale here is case for an idea of a timeline as the person concerned updated regularly and you can see the timeline from when the person says they have been stopped and questioned to the point they tell us they have received a letter about it

https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/prosecution-from-govia-thameslink.282995/

so that is an example from last year that I noted:

- the person (OP) was stopped on or around 1 Nov 2024
- The OP got the letter from GTR / Thameslink on 21 Jan 2025
- The OP replied to that letter around 24 Jan 2025
- The OP was offered an Out of Court settlement and paid it on 12 March

Whole process took just over 4 months which included the Christmas holiday period.

 

[redpanda27]

Hi, thank you so much for your response.

you have made some serious 'errors of judgment' in what you have been doing especially if you want to pursue a medical career. You need to stop doing this. You will appreciate that when people go to get medical help they want to know the people treating them are 100% honest and trustworthy - so it's taken seriously as you now realise.

I understand the gravity of my mistake and I definately will not do it again. I never really knew that people could get criminal records or be taken to court for fare evasion- all friends or people i know who have previously been caught have just received on the spot fines. Of course this does not excuse the behaviour.

no one would realistically buy a ticket for that journey in that way so it arouses suspicion and they may well notice it

I think buying a return ticket with the 16-17 railcard (£3.60) is actually cheaper than the cost of tapping in/ out with an oyster card/contactless (£5.80 at peak times) so could that help if they questioned those purchases?

they may write to your parents anyway as you are a minor

How likely do you think this is?

You are probably looking at weeks or even months before they write

Okay. I will be applying to university in early october and part of the application is declaring any criminal convictions etc. I'm assuming I wont have to declare this since it hasnt actually been taken to court nor do I have a criminal record related to it.


For now is there anything I can do other than waiting to recieve the letter? Is pre preparing my response maybe a good idea considering I'll probably be back at school by the time I get the letter.

I was also wondering if they can see what tickets I have purchased at ticket machines? Also I turn 18 at the end of november. Will I be treated as an adult if the cae is still ongoing then or still as a minor as I was 17 when the incident occured?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 12 Aug 2025 ==

Sorry for all the questions but I am just wondering why Its been sent to the prosecutions team rather than just getting a penalty fare on the spot? I would have paid that but I wasn't given the option. Is there any reason for this? I was being very cooperative with the ticket person.

 

[Trainman40083]

Hi, thank you so much for your response.

I understand the gravity of my mistake and I definately will not do it again. I never really knew that people could get criminal records or be taken to court for fare evasion- all friends or people i know who have previously been caught have just received on the spot fines. Of course this does not excuse the behaviour.

I think buying a return ticket with the 16-17 railcard (£3.60) is actually cheaper than the cost of tapping in/ out with an oyster card/contactless (£5.80 at peak times) so could that help if they questioned those purchases?


How likely do you think this is?


Okay. I will be applying to university in early october and part of the application is declaring any criminal convictions etc. I'm assuming I wont have to declare this since it hasnt actually been taken to court nor do I have a criminal record related to it.


For now is there anything I can do other than waiting to recieve the letter? Is pre preparing my response maybe a good idea considering I'll probably be back at school by the time I get the letter.

I was also wondering if they can see what tickets I have purchased at ticket machines? Also I turn 18 at the end of november. Will I be treated as an adult if the cae is still ongoing then or still as a minor as I was 17 when the incident occured?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 12 Aug 2025 ==

Sorry for all the questions but I am just wondering why Its been sent to the prosecutions team rather than just getting a penalty fare on the spot? I would have paid that but I wasn't given the option. Is there any reason for this? I was being very cooperative with the ticket person.

Well based on your comments, and indeed other posts, a penalty fare would not have been an appropriate remedy. It was not "a mistake". You were doughnutting. Hence, it goes for further action.

 

[WesternLancer]

Hi, thank you so much for your response.

I understand the gravity of my mistake and I definately will not do it again. I never really knew that people could get criminal records or be taken to court for fare evasion- all friends or people i know who have previously been caught have just received on the spot fines. Of course this does not excuse the behaviour.

I think buying a return ticket with the 16-17 railcard (£3.60) is actually cheaper than the cost of tapping in/ out with an oyster card/contactless (£5.80 at peak times) so could that help if they questioned those purchases?


How likely do you think this is?


Okay. I will be applying to university in early october and part of the application is declaring any criminal convictions etc. I'm assuming I wont have to declare this since it hasnt actually been taken to court nor do I have a criminal record related to it.


For now is there anything I can do other than waiting to recieve the letter? Is pre preparing my response maybe a good idea considering I'll probably be back at school by the time I get the letter.

I was also wondering if they can see what tickets I have purchased at ticket machines? Also I turn 18 at the end of november. Will I be treated as an adult if the cae is still ongoing then or still as a minor as I was 17 when the incident occured?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 12 Aug 2025 ==

Sorry for all the questions but I am just wondering why Its been sent to the prosecutions team rather than just getting a penalty fare on the spot? I would have paid that but I wasn't given the option. Is there any reason for this? I was being very cooperative with the ticket person.

Hi - sorry for not giving my views on your questions sooner. Feel free to ask questions here - it's important you know what to expect so that you can best avoid court action etc so asking questions is good.

Hope this covers them

I am just wondering why Its been sent to the prosecutions team rather than just getting a penalty fare on the spot? I would have paid that but I wasn't given the option. Is there any reason for this? I was being very cooperative with the ticket person.

Because they have seen that you have been Penalty Fared (PFs) before and not learned a lesson basically. PFs are designed for mistakes about tickets not persistent deliberate evasion which is what you (and I suspect your friends) have been doing. That's because a persistent evader will calculate that they only get caught occasionally and thus the £50 PF is a price worth paying for the occasional time they are caught. Hence when people have a record of these the Inspector is going to know that it needs the book throwing at the passenger for them to change their ways. The PF posters you see at stations are misleading in this regard as they suggest £50 / £100 is what happens to fare evaders, but they will always reserve the right to prosecute people they think are playing the system.

I understand the gravity of my mistake and I definitely will not do it again.

I know myself that when you are young and skint saving a few £ likes this seems like a good idea. But if you want to be a medic your long term career earnings potential is hundreds of thousands of pounds (possibly even >£1m). So risking that is the bigger picture equation to weigh up when it comes to saving small £ sums on fares...

I think buying a return ticket with the 16-17 railcard (£3.60) is actually cheaper than the cost of tapping in/ out with an oyster card/contactless (£5.80 at peak times) so could that help if they questioned those purchases?

Ultimately no because it would be doubling on a lie - ie you didn't buy that ticket to actually travel between those two places, you bought it to get out of the barriers at St Pancras as part pf a deliberate plan to evade the correct fare. They won't believe some story about actually travelling between Farringdon and St Pancras (not unless you can evidence it with ticket gate scan ins and outs at the relevant stations that match the ticket or other proof) - don't go there...

How likely do you think this is?

If you gave your date of birth I think it's very likely they would write to the parents of a person under 18, but I'm not sure of their precise policy

Okay. I will be applying to university in early october and part of the application is declaring any criminal convictions etc. I'm assuming I wont have to declare this since it hasnt actually been taken to court nor do I have a criminal record related to it.

I think you are correct - if you have not actually been to court and sentenced then you would not say 'yes' to that question. But when doing the application be sure to check the precise wording of the question being asked of you.

All being well you can get this resolved without court prosecution and resolved before October

For now is there anything I can do other than waiting to recieve the letter? Is pre preparing my response maybe a good idea considering I'll probably be back at school by the time I get the letter.

Things you could do would be

- give thought to discussing this with your parents (or if that is difficult maybe another family member at first to see what they think) - if for no other reason then your parents need to watch out for any letter, and understand that it is serious and not an idle threat when it talks of prosecution that can be ignored. Ignoring these letters guarantees prosecution from what we see on here - it's just an automatic process for them as they catch hundreds of people every week.
- read other threads to get the idea of things and the responses people send and how it plays out
- check your ticket buying records to make a private list for your records of your evasion so that you know about that if they ask you about other occasions
- yes, as you say, start to draft up the sort of reply you will need to send when they write to you / your parents
- have the money in place to be able to pay promptly and in full the sum they might ask for. That will be the full price Anytime Fare for any / all journeys they suspect you of evading fares on and an 'admin fee' that could be around £150

I was also wondering if they can see what tickets I have purchased at ticket machines?

In theory yes because they could potentially link your online bank card payment with the account used on a card used at a ticket machine. It's possible in reality though that they would not do this unless they are investigating major fare evasion activity, so you can never rule it out but it might not happen.

Also I turn 18 at the end of november. Will I be treated as an adult if the cae is still ongoing then or still as a minor as I was 17 when the incident occured?

I don't know the answer to this, but someone here will know!

Generally Thameslink tend to settle out of court and not prosecute, so as long as you engage honestly with them when they are in contact, and given your age, I think you have a strong probability of being able to resolve this without it going to court.

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Okay. I will be applying to university in early october and part of the application is declaring any criminal convictions etc. I'm assuming I wont have to declare this since it hasnt actually been taken to court nor do I have a criminal record related to it.

think you are correct - if you have not actually been to court and sentenced then you would not say 'yes' to that question. But when doing the application be sure to check the precise wording of the question being asked of you.

All being well you can get this resolved without court prosecution and resolved before October

To add to this - read the guidance from the institutions that you are applying to very carefully. I'd expect them to want to know if you are convicted, even after you have applied, and it's not impossible that they would want you to know if you have been charged or even if you are under investigation.

And medicine is a competitive trade to get into: you don't want to get knocked back by failing to follow the instructions!

 

[rainy sky]

To add to this - read the guidance from the institutions that you are applying to very carefully. I'd expect them to want to know if you are convicted, even after you have applied, and it's not impossible that they would want you to know if you have been charged or even if you are under investigation.

And medicine is a competitive trade to get into: you don't want to get knocked back by failing to follow the instructions!

Hi, I don't normally post here (just lurking), however as a recent university applicant myself I would suggest the OP reads this page on the UCAS website about declarations, this document from Unlock and also any pages about criminal record declaration on the websites of the specific universities they're applying to. It's likely to be under a Study tab or similar, or linked on a page about a medicine or related course due to the requirement to declare. After application, there will be an applicant portal for each uni where they may also ask about criminal records too. Read everything very carefully as they can be a bit different from each other when it comes to charges etc.

Obviously ideally this will be resolved before then, but if not it's important to keep in mind.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 13 Aug 2025 ==

this document from Unlock

Apologies, I just checked back and it seems I linked the wrong page here (it may still be useful, I guess, but it's more academic). I meant to link Unlock: Applying to University. It also includes what to do if this (hopefully not!) proceeds to court and you are convicted after applying, and other useful information.

 

[furlong]

Your first priority - ensure you always have a valid ticket BEFORE boarding any train from now on. Take no more chances. Remember that when you turn 18 you'll need to get a new railcard with a lesser discount.

Second priority - tell your parents. The normal procedure involves the train company writing to them. Much better for you to explain to them on your terms, and work out together a plan for how you'll all handle this, rather than deal with them asking you after reading a very scary-sounding letter that arrives out-of-the-blue and which will make things look worse than they really are.

The good news is that, as long as you're sensible about handling this and offer to pay the train company the money they work out that you still owe them for the journeys you made, you will almost certainly have the opportunity to avoid prosecution and to avoid it affecting your future career.

 

[redpanda27]

I still havnt heard anything/ received any letter. Should I contact someone or does it usually take this long for them to get in touch

 

[30907]

I still havnt heard anything/ received any letter. Should I contact someone or does it usually take this long for them to get in touch

Sit right - so long as you can access your post at the address you gave. 6-7 weeks isn't particularly long

 

[redpanda27]

Sit right - so long as you can access your post at the address you gave. 6-7 weeks isn't particularly long

okay thanks. how long does it usually take?

 

[WesternLancer]

okay thanks. how long does it usually take?

Fare evasion- Thameslink

I got witness statements for train evansion on may 7th. But l didn’t get any letter from until now. But l enquired with my old address, there is a letter received. I’m scared is there any time limit for reply to this letter. Can you help me please

www.railforums.co.uk

This case gives you an idea of the timeline as the poster has given updates at each key stage so you can see that.

 

[redpanda27]

Hello. I received a letter today (It was actually addressed to my parents but luckily I was home so I opened it before they saw it). They offered an out of court settlement of £77.70 so I paid it.

 

[z444z]

Hello. I received a letter today (It was actually addressed to my parents but luckily I was home so I opened it before they saw it). They offered an out of court settlement of £77.70 so I paid it.

Another very reasonable settlement from GTR, thanks very much for updating us!

 

[WesternLancer]

Hello. I received a letter today (It was actually addressed to my parents but luckily I was home so I opened it before they saw it). They offered an out of court settlement of £77.70 so I paid it.

keep proof of payment and keep copies of everything long term (ie over a year) - in the unlikely event you need to refer back to any of this.