Thameslink - unaware my railcard was out of date

[123zxc]

I was on my way to work one morning, I rarely use the Thameslink as I mostly drive to work. I have previously had a railcard but did not check when it expired. I was unaware my railcard was out of date as I do not really use trains outside of TFL much. When I was told this by the person at the ticket gate they took my details and I was told I will be contacted by the team and will probably have to pay a penalty fare. After this I then registered for a new railcard as I had booked a return journey. I take full responsbility of this as I know it is my responsbility to ensure it is in date. I just don't use it often enough and presumed. I was unable to pay the full amount or a penalty fare at that moment and was given a GTREM straight away. I have now been issued a notice of intent to proescute. Would I still be able to pay a fine or will the repercussions be a lot worse?
I will write to them stating I will take full responsibility for my actions and also what the events were.

 

[Gloster]

I was on my way to work one morning, I rarely use the Thameslink as I mostly drive to work. I have previously had a railcard but did not check when it expired. I was unaware my railcard was out of date as I do not really use trains outside of TFL much. When I was told this by the person at the ticket gate they took my details and I was told I will be contacted by the team and will probably have to pay a penalty fare. After this I then registered for a new railcard as I had booked a return journey. I take full responsbility of this as I know it is my responsbility to ensure it is in date. I just don't use it often enough and presumed. I was unable to pay the full amount or a penalty fare at that moment and was given a GTREM straight away. I have now been issued a notice of intent to proescute. Would I still be able to pay a fine or will the repercussions be a lot worse?
I will write to them stating I will take full responsibility for my actions and also what the events were.

Please post the paperwork that you have received in this thread so that the experts will know exactly how the matter is being handled. Please obscure your name, address and any other identifying details, such as reference numbers.

 

[jfollows]

Read up on the forum, there are lots of similar cases.

You will probably be able to negotiate an out-of-court settlement for the unpaid full fare plus an administration fee, plus any other unpaid fares you may have avoided following the expiry of your railcard.

If you post what you've received here, suitably redacted not to show your name and other details, we can probably help you construct a letter.

 

[123zxc]

Of course thank you all for your help.

On wednesday 10th May your details were taken by a revenue protection inspector at station.
This letter is to inform you of our intention to take this case to the Magistrates Court and on the reverse it provides you with the opportunity to tell us what happened from your point of view.

Travel fraud costs the rail industry ........ and Govia Thameslink Railway has a zero tolerance approach to fare evasion on our network. We always ask that the courts impose the maximum penalty for offendors, which can include the follow:

criminal record,
fine,
prison sentence
suspended sentence
community service
compensation
costs


You must reply to this letter within 14 days of the above data including the reference above on any correspondence. We do not accept any appeal over the phone, any correspondence MUST be sent in writing.

(On the back)
Details of Offence:
Did enter a train for the purpose of travelling on the railway and upon inspection at the station; did not produce a valid ticket entitling travel.

Response from passanger:

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 24 Jun 2024 ==

at the station I was given a GTREM that said I will be contacted with a letter.

 

[30907]

Thanks for supplying the detail. As you might guess, this is a standard letter for occasions when a Penalty Fare is considered inappropriate.

If you search this sub-forum for posts by (long-standing) forum member @Hadders you will come across his suggestions of points to make in your reply.

GTR will almost certainly agree to a financial settlement. They are likely to have checked your purchase history to see if you have done this before, but from what you say the answer is no.

 

[Hadders]

Welcome to the forum!

This sounds like an unfortunate incident, thankfully GTR are one of the more pragmatic train companies to deal with when it comes to this sort of thing. I suggest writing a short, concise reply that covers the following points:

- 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

GTR will usually offer an administrative settlement (commonly known as an out of court settlement) for people who engage with the process and who haven't come to their attention before. We cannot guarantee this and the train company is within their rights to prosecute you in the magistrates court if they want to

Expect a settlement to cost around £150 plus the outstanding fare at the Anytime rate, with no discount for the ticket you did purchase. 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 a copy of your draft reply in this thread and forum members will be happy to proof read it for you.

 

[123zxc]

Dear ……….

I am in understanding of the responsibility that I must provide a valid railcard and that I had not had one present on this day. I was unaware my last railcard was out of date as I rarely use my railcard and as I was in a rush that day getting to work, once purchasing the ticket I just put it in my wallet until it needs to be used or shown.
After the ticket inspector checked my ticket and stated my ticket was invalid as the railcard was not on the database. I did not have my railcard on hand as I usually have pictures of my IDs I use on a regular basis on my phone but did not have the railcard picture on my new phone. I checked my railcard later as I remembered it was on the train app I used previously but deleted the train app a few months ago as there were payment issues. I then found out my railcard was out of date and then requested a new one straight away after this incident as my ticket was for a return. I immediately screenshot the image so it is in my phone gallery. I rarely use trains outside of TFL as I mostly drive to work, and this was a rare occasion. It was a complete mistake and one I will not be making again.

I acknowledge that the rail industry would have lost money because of my actions, and I understand the revenue protection is important in keeping fares down. I apologise for causing you to have to spend money dealing with the consequences of my actions.

I am keen to settle the matter without the need for court action and I will proceed to pay any fare that is still unpaid and the penalty you see fit in addition to the train company’s administrative costs in dealing with the matter.

I sincerely apologise that my actions have led to this, and I will always check my railcard and the expiry date before using it with a ticket. I will ensure that this never happens again.

 

[jfollows]

Personally I would replace the entire first paragraph (or is it two, from ‘I am’ to ‘making again’) with something shorter and simpler, they're not really all that interested in your reasons and the details, with something like:

"I acknowledge that I bought a ticket with a railcard discount that I was not entitled to because the railcard had expired, which was my mistake. I have now bought a replacement railcard and I will ensure that I will not repeat my mistake."

Then as you have it, the last three paragraphs are fine. I think you cover all the bases of the advice from Hadders above.

Essentially, when I tried to put myself in the shoes of the recipient of your letter my eyes glazed over at the stuff in the first paragraph, it's really not interesting or relevant.

 

[123zxc]

is this okay to submit

 

[oppp1092]

Dear ……….

I am in understanding of the responsibility that I must provide a valid railcard and that I had not had one present on this day. I was unaware my last railcard was out of date as I rarely use my railcard and as I was in a rush that day getting to work, once purchasing the ticket I just put it in my wallet until it needs to be used or shown.
After the ticket inspector checked my ticket and stated my ticket was invalid as the railcard was not on the database. I did not have my railcard on hand as I usually have pictures of my IDs I use on a regular basis on my phone but did not have the railcard picture on my new phone. I checked my railcard later as I remembered it was on the train app I used previously but deleted the train app a few months ago as there were payment issues. I then found out my railcard was out of date and then requested a new one straight away after this incident as my ticket was for a return. I immediately screenshot the image so it is in my phone gallery. I rarely use trains outside of TFL as I mostly drive to work, and this was a rare occasion. It was a complete mistake and one I will not be making again.

I acknowledge that the rail industry would have lost money because of my actions, and I understand the revenue protection is important in keeping fares down. I apologise for causing you to have to spend money dealing with the consequences of my actions.

I am keen to settle the matter without the need for court action and I will proceed to pay any fare that is still unpaid and the penalty you see fit in addition to the train company’s administrative costs in dealing with the matter.

I sincerely apologise that my actions have led to this, and I will always check my railcard and the expiry date before using it with a ticket. I will ensure that this never happens again.

not an expert but based off my situation I’d say cut down a lot of that. Try not to do too much explaining I feel like just cut to the point. But follow people like hadders because they know better than me.

 

[KLondon]

Hi can you please tell what happened after that? after you sent the reply?

 

[Gloster]

Hi can you please tell what happened after that? after you sent the reply?

If you have a problem please start your own thread. No two cases are exactly the same and good advice for one can be bad for another and cause confusion.