You pretty much nailed it on the head with all of the above. And yes it's a fully fledged registered "over 60" pass.
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Used wrong oyster card
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It was a 60+ card which incorporates the owners name and photo.
Ah.
Right.
I feared that might be the case.
If a card has the owner's name on it, it would rather suggest it is meant for only their personal use. A photograph rather emphasises that point.
Unfortunately
But again they didn't understand that was an important difference. A) all oyster cards look same on on of the sides b) they used other ppl oysters before when visiting in the past - and it didn't make much difference as they would just top it up and return when done.
Yes well inspector actually did say with regards to the new card - for the actual owner to order a new card ...so that is not the main concern...
BluePenguin
On Moderation
Honestly, international visitors to the UK have nothing to worry about. There was a thread on here about a Polish person who was stopped by an inspector and given grief over not having the correct ticket and nothing ever came of it. As people have said, persuing someone abroad is not worth their time.
A letter might get sent to the hotel but they will be long gone by then. Simply tell them you are sorry about the mix up and get them their own Oyster cards for the future. All of this talk about writing to TFL is not needed.
A letter might get sent to the hotel but they will be long gone by then. Simply tell them you are sorry about the mix up and get them their own Oyster cards for the future. All of this talk about writing to TFL is not needed.
BluePenguin
On Moderation
Nothing at all!
I hear what you saying. But they would like to be able come back / visit and worried it might stay on the record and cause complications for visa or what's not. And yes of coourse got them their own oyster right away.
BluePenguin
On Moderation
I don't see what would stop them? Nobody at the airport will arrest them over a £2.40 unpaid fare and this situation will certainly not affect their ability to get a visa. So long as they are not caught again they should be fine. It was an honest mistake and will never be recorded as a criminal record anywhere. Whether your moral compass accepts this is another matter of course.
However I admire the huge amount of honesty you all show. Many school and college children (aged 12 - 18) who frequently take the train intentionally do not pay. When caught they provide a false name and address and nothing ever comes of it. None of them ever have any money and inspectors even see the regulars a few times a week.
Glad to hear they have their own Oyster cards now!
I agree there's no chance of it causing an issue if/when they next arrive at the airport but, not that I expect this to be the case here, an unspent criminal conviction could affect a visa application.
Thank you - just to clear up the matter. This has not been at the airport / train station. Just a central London / touristy spot.
A note has been made of their place of birth (obvs outside of UK) so perhaps that would somewhat make their "faux pas" more understandable.
Also could you please explain what an "unspent criminal conviction is" ??
ForTheLoveOf
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The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 means that less serious criminal convictions become what is known as 'spent' after a certain period of time. A 'spent' conviction does not need to be declared for most purposes (e.g. insurance, job applications), as it is considered that the offender has received sufficient punishment for their offence after their offence has become 'spent'.
A conviction under the Railway Byelaws is considered 'spent' immediately. A conviction under the more serious Regulation of Railways Act 1889 is not considered spent until 1 year after you have been convicted.
There still remain some applications and the like for which a conviction that is 'spent' must still be declared. This includes high level security clearance, detailed background checks for working in sensitive occupations (e.g. police, financial adviser), and certain visa or other immigration applications.
Unfortunately I don't think anyone here is a qualified immigration adviser, and as a result it would be unlawful for us to offer you immigration advice: if you require any such advice, it would be advisable to find a suitable adviser. (Even if it were not unlawful, with matters that are as significant as immigration, relying on internet advice is not a good idea!)
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At a very basic level, the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act specifies that minor offences are considered spent after a period of time. Spent convictions won't appear on a normal DBS search and don't need to be declared, and can't be considered for job applications, etc.
This is a high-level we explanation though, more info is available online.
_toommm_
Established Member
Many school children? Really? I've barely left that age category and I've rarely seen people from my old academy and my sixth form college dodge fare. I feel you may be overgeneralising...
BluePenguin
On Moderation
You must live in a more affluent area or one where the stations mostly have barriers then. Is there a chance they all had their travel paid for them?
Sadly I am not overgeneralising. I have been travelling up and down my line for years and it has always been a problem. It is mostly school children rather than college as the latter tend to have their travel costs paid for. Back in my school days, there was once a group of revenue inspectors waiting as the train pulled in. I had never seen so many people scrabble over the fence.
I don't have a horse in this race, but I feel that it's worth pointing out that this:
Isn't supported by this:
_toommm_
Established Member
I grew up and lived in Rotherham for 18 years, lived in Sheffield for a year, and have lived just outside of Glossop since July.
Rotherham definitely isn't affluent, yet everyone paid the respective child fare and showed the pass to prove their entitlement. I lived in a nice part of Sheffield admittedly afterwards but they still did.
Hello all, sorry to pester ... But Any thoughts on what approach might be taken if the letter is "returned as undelivered" to tfl or gets chucked away by the owners/ new ppl who will by this point no doubt have moved into the temporary (hotel) address provided ?
Fawkes Cat
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The consensus from our hypothetical discussion of this point is that Transport for London are unlikely to pursue a penalty against someone from abroad when it will cost them more to chase it up than they will get back.
So I think your friends can stop worrying. But remember - we are only internet users sharing our knowledge. We're not professionals - just people trying to help.
nuts & bolts
Member
You can email customer (Oyster) services @ tfl to explain the situation. They (TfL) maybe able to assist (in this manner) if you supply a forward address together with your own details due to assisting in closing this outstanding issue soonest.
Can I ask this, if your friends were staying in a Aparthotel, how did they have access to the various cards earlier mentioned?
Appreciate the response ! Emailed tfl right away - so far no response. They were considering perhaps sending a cheque covering cost of fare and the 80£ penalty - to assist tfl covering any cost of resolving / inconvenience ?
I'd hold off on this, because the £80 is not an automatic thing - it's a penalty that TfL might chose to give, instead of pursuing a prosecution.
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