Wrong ticket on GWR train

[Throwaway1871]

Hi all,

Yesterday I was caught with a child ticket by an inspector, which was a genuine mistake and even I was surprised after the inspector told me what had happened. Of course I accept that I am completely in the wrong here and that it is impossible for GWR to determine genuine mistakes from non-genuine.

So I gave over my address and was told to expect a letter, however I wasn't told what the punishment will be. I am now wondering what it will be, if anyone has any idea? I'm happy to pay a fine and have never had any train related fines or warnings previously.

Any info would be great, thanks!

 

[Mcr Warrior]

@Throwaway1871. Welcome to the forum. Likely, but not guaranteed, that you'll be able to negotiate a so-called "out of court settlement" in which you will likely be asked to pay the full, undiscounted adult Anytime Day Single for the journey made, whatever that was, plus a three figure sum towards the train company's investigation and admin costs. For example, Wokingham to London would be £30.

In addition, likely that the train company will investigate your online ticket purchasing history to see if you've previously bought any other potentially moody tickets.

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Hi all,

Yesterday I was caught with a child ticket by an inspector, which was a genuine mistake and even I was surprised after the inspector told me what had happened. Of course I accept that I am completely in the wrong here and that it is impossible for GWR to determine genuine mistakes from non-genuine.

So I gave over my address and was told to expect a letter, however I wasn't told what the punishment will be. I am now wondering what it will be, if anyone has any idea? I'm happy to pay a fine and have never had any train related fines or warnings previously.

Any info would be great, thanks!

Welcome to the forum!

You might want to have a look at GWR's webpage at https://www.gwr.com/help-and-support/penalties-and-enforcements which links through to their revenue protection policy (https://www.gwr.com/-/media/gwr-sc-...Revenue-Protection-Policy-January-2023-v2.pdf). On page 11 it tells you

What could happen if you do not pay your fare

(...)
We’ll do our best to settle out of court.

Prosecution can have serious consequences on your personal and professional life. So, if you don’t pay your fare, we will do everything we can to avoid taking you to court.

We’ll probably send you an offer to settle out of court – usually asking you to pay an amount to cover your fare and our costs.

So that's what will probably happen. GWR will write to you. If they don't immediately offer an out of court settlement, you will need to reply promptly and honestly. Then it's likely that they will offer you a chance to settle for the full train fare (most likely the expensive Anytime Day Single fare - no account will be taken of the child fare that you have already paid) plus their costs - which may be something like £150.

 

[Dai Corner]

One thing they can do to help tell genuine mistakes from deliberate actions is to look at your purchase history if you bought through a website or app.

Depending on your age and how often you travel you may find a 16-25 Railcard or 16-17 Saver will save you money. See Railcard.co.uk

 

[Haywain]

Yesterday I was caught with a child ticket by an inspector, which was a genuine mistake and even I was surprised after the inspector told me what had happened.

How was this a "genuine mistake"? You have to actively select a child and remove the adult option on pretty much every sales channel.