At the start of the month I bought a ticket from my local station to the stop before London Bridge, then from London Bridge to Cannon street and departed there.
They scanned my ticket and saw that I hadn't scanned through the barriers at London bridge so referred me to a revenue protection officer.
I had a brief interview and told him that I didn't have the full ticket and didn't attempt to amend it.
For context, my ticket was bought via the Trainline App.
I've just received the letter from Southeastern, offering me the opportunity to respond.
I've drafted this response taking from previous posts I've read here:
Dear Mr [Name],
I am writing in response to your letter regarding the incident on 01 April 2025. (Reference: xxxxxxxxxxxx) - I have also responded by post to the original letter, thank you for giving me the opportunity to provide a response.
On that day, I travelled from [Local Station] to London Cannon Street with a ticket that did not cover the full journey. I had booked my ticket in a way that left a gap between Sevenoaks and London Bridge, meaning I did not have a valid fare for that portion of my journey.
I deeply regret my actions and take full and complete responsibility for them. I fully recognize that what I did was wrong, and I sincerely apologize for my poor judgment. At the time, I made a thoughtless decision without fully considering the consequences, and I now understand the seriousness of this matter. This experience has been a wake-up call for me, and I guarantee I will never do this again.
I would be extremely grateful for the opportunity to settle this matter without the need for court action. I am willing to pay the outstanding fare and any administrative costs incurred by Southeastern in handling this case and investigation.
Once again, I sincerely apologize for my wrongdoing. I deeply regret my actions and appreciate your consideration in allowing me to resolve this matter out of court.
Yours sincerely,
I would welcome any criticism or additions to this.
*EDIT*
Just to add a little more context, I was in a difficult circumstance from January to February, I was out of work and had a new gig lined up but wasn't able to start for 4 weeks, leaving me unemployed for a month. After starting my new position I had very little money left, I have a mortgage, regular bills, pets etc to pay for so starting my commute back into London was going to be very tight.
I was well aware of train laws, and no matter the reason or excuse it never really has a bearing on the outcome. I did this out of desperation. It's not something I ever plan on repeating, and just want to get this smoothed over so I can move on. I am regretful, as this will end up costing me more than the train fare would have but at the time I simply couldn't afford to travel and was too proud to ask my new employer for any kind of help or advance.
They scanned my ticket and saw that I hadn't scanned through the barriers at London bridge so referred me to a revenue protection officer.
I had a brief interview and told him that I didn't have the full ticket and didn't attempt to amend it.
For context, my ticket was bought via the Trainline App.
I've just received the letter from Southeastern, offering me the opportunity to respond.
I've drafted this response taking from previous posts I've read here:
Dear Mr [Name],
I am writing in response to your letter regarding the incident on 01 April 2025. (Reference: xxxxxxxxxxxx) - I have also responded by post to the original letter, thank you for giving me the opportunity to provide a response.
On that day, I travelled from [Local Station] to London Cannon Street with a ticket that did not cover the full journey. I had booked my ticket in a way that left a gap between Sevenoaks and London Bridge, meaning I did not have a valid fare for that portion of my journey.
I deeply regret my actions and take full and complete responsibility for them. I fully recognize that what I did was wrong, and I sincerely apologize for my poor judgment. At the time, I made a thoughtless decision without fully considering the consequences, and I now understand the seriousness of this matter. This experience has been a wake-up call for me, and I guarantee I will never do this again.
I would be extremely grateful for the opportunity to settle this matter without the need for court action. I am willing to pay the outstanding fare and any administrative costs incurred by Southeastern in handling this case and investigation.
Once again, I sincerely apologize for my wrongdoing. I deeply regret my actions and appreciate your consideration in allowing me to resolve this matter out of court.
Yours sincerely,
I would welcome any criticism or additions to this.
*EDIT*
Just to add a little more context, I was in a difficult circumstance from January to February, I was out of work and had a new gig lined up but wasn't able to start for 4 weeks, leaving me unemployed for a month. After starting my new position I had very little money left, I have a mortgage, regular bills, pets etc to pay for so starting my commute back into London was going to be very tight.
I was well aware of train laws, and no matter the reason or excuse it never really has a bearing on the outcome. I did this out of desperation. It's not something I ever plan on repeating, and just want to get this smoothed over so I can move on. I am regretful, as this will end up costing me more than the train fare would have but at the time I simply couldn't afford to travel and was too proud to ask my new employer for any kind of help or advance.
Last edited:
