Used child ticket - approached by revenue recovery GWR

[dinoteen123]

I am going to be honest.. I got caught using a child ticket I told the person my details he said he was with GWR he was wearing a body cam... He told he needed my address from my mobile or something which had my address on it... I showed my mobile banking app but.. it was my old address.. I was scared I didn't know what... I couldnt tell him that it was my old address... I traveled from Manchester Piccadilly to Taunton... I'm under 18.. does any one know how long will it take for the letter to arrive and also what is the maximum amount of fine I can get... I did this journey on the 3rd of Jan 2025...I'm very scared... Will I get prosecuted... I did go the old house and tell them if they get any mail in my name pls contact me... It's almost been 20 days since incident.. I haven't gotten anything yet... I got a rectangular paper with a reference number in it.. but Wen I enter it in GWR penalty fare website it says it doesn't have any record... I'm scared and anxious

 

[Jan Mayen]

Although it won't help this case, for anyone reading this in the future just tell the Revenue Inspector your name, address (and in England I believe you are obliged to give your date of birth). If you haven't got anything with your current address, just say so.
I'm sure others will be along shortly to advise the original poster, or correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[6Gman]

I think you need to give more information and explanation in order for you to be given good advice. Can you clarify the following?

1. You are presumably 16 or 17 years of age?
2. You were travelling from Manchester to Taunton but bought a child ticket that you were not entitled to?
3. You were stopped. Where? On the train or at a station?
4. What paperwork were you given?
5. Why couldn't you tell him your current address?

 

[dinoteen123]

I think you need to give more information and explanation in order for you to be given good advice. Can you clarify the following?

1. You are presumably 16 or 17 years of age?
2. You were travelling from Manchester to Taunton but bought a child ticket that you were not entitled to?
3. You were stopped. Where? On the train or at a station?
4. What paperwork were you given?
5. Why couldn't you tell him your current address?

I'm 17 years of age
Yes
Stopped outside the train station.. I got out of the train station... He stopped me outside asking to see my ticket
I was just given a rectangular piece of paper.. with a FG**** reference number
I was scared.. and mostly he would think Im lying because the only thing I had on me to prove my address was that banking app.. if tell that's not my real address.. he wouldn't even believe it.. he said I wont get fined heavy as I'm under 18.. but I'm still scared.. I just want to pay the fine..

 

[Manak]

I'm 17 years of age
Yes
Stopped outside the train station.. I got out of the train station... He stopped me outside asking to see my ticket
I was just given a rectangular piece of paper.. with a FG**** reference number
I was scared.. and mostly he would think Im lying because the only thing I had on me to prove my address was that banking app.. if tell that's not my real address.. he wouldn't even believe it.. he said I wont get fined heavy as I'm under 18.. but I'm still scared.. I just want to pay the fine..

Please don’t worry. GWR will settle with you especially as you are under 18. Email them and give them your correct address and age, apologise and ask to resolve the matter. You will not have any issues. I am sure the volunteers here will help you with the wording and where to send it.

 

[6Gman]

I'm 17 years of age
Yes
Stopped outside the train station.. I got out of the train station... He stopped me outside asking to see my ticket
I was just given a rectangular piece of paper.. with a FG**** reference number
I was scared.. and mostly he would think Im lying because the only thing I had on me to prove my address was that banking app.. if tell that's not my real address.. he wouldn't even believe it.. he said I wont get fined heavy as I'm under 18.. but I'm still scared.. I just want to pay the fine..

Thank you for that.

The experts will be along shortly but for the moment my understanding is that the train operators are reluctant to take under-18s to court (but if you turn 18 in the next few months they may). Also that Great Western tend to be amenable to offering out of court settlements rather than prosecuting.

Such a settlement usually involves the full fare avoided (with no allowance for the incorrect ticket bought) plus admin costs of c.£120-150. As an out of court settlement it disposes of the matter and there's no criminal record.

Make sure you get any correspondence from them - it may be worth notifying them of the correct address.

 

[bkhtele]

Sounds like an MG11 response, did he read you your rights? If it was a penalty fare it would say that at the top of the paper. Wait until you are contacted, you could contact them with your correct address if there are contact details on the document. It could take several months until you get a letter.
GWR are generally quite flexible and are usually open to an out of court settlement if you are responsive.

 

[Somewhere]

Although it won't help this case, for anyone reading this in the future just tell the Revenue Inspector your name, address (and in England I believe you are obliged to give your date of birth). If you haven't got anything with your current address, just say so.
I'm sure others will be along shortly to advise the original poster, or correct me if I'm wrong.

I'm railway, so I know you have to 'give your details'. Which is all very vague. But if I wasn't aware of what the law said, anyone asking me for my details, I would be asking under what law I am required to give them.

 

[dinoteen123]

Sounds like an MG11 response, did he read you your rights? If it was a penalty fare it would say that at the top of the paper. Wait until you are contacted, you could contact them with your correct address if there are contact details on the document. It could take several months until you get a letter.
GWR are generally quite flexible and are usually open to an out of court settlement if you are responsive.

Well this is what I got.. I don't know what mg11 means.. could anyone please explain.. this is the only kind of receipt I got.. they said I cannot use the return ticket... So I had to book another ticket(adult) to come back to Manchester

 

[30907]

1. MG11 is a witness statement document.

2. Until you are 18, you can pay for a 16-17 Saver Card which gives you child fares;
After that, a 16-25 Railcard gives you 1/3 off at most times and would almost certainly pay for itself on one journey like yours.

 

[WesternLancer]

I am going to be honest.. I got caught using a child ticket I told the person my details he said he was with GWR he was wearing a body cam... He told he needed my address from my mobile or something which had my address on it... I showed my mobile banking app but.. it was my old address.. I was scared I didn't know what... I couldnt tell him that it was my old address... I traveled from Manchester Piccadilly to Taunton... I'm under 18.. does any one know how long will it take for the letter to arrive and also what is the maximum amount of fine I can get... I did this journey on the 3rd of Jan 2025...I'm very scared... Will I get prosecuted... I did go the old house and tell them if they get any mail in my name pls contact me... It's almost been 20 days since incident.. I haven't gotten anything yet... I got a rectangular paper with a reference number in it.. but Wen I enter it in GWR penalty fare website it says it doesn't have any record... I'm scared and anxious

Have a read of the pdf version of the GWR revenue protection policy on their website. It will help you understand how they will handle this.

 

[RPI]

If you are under 18 and we're handed a "What Happens Next?" Card, as in the image, then you will have been reported via a Travel Irregularity Report, being under 18 usually you'll need to pay the price of the avoided fare plus an admin fee, the admin fee is less than that of someone over 18 usually (but I actually don't know how much it is at the moment)

 

[Hadders]

Welcome to the forum!

GWR will write to you in the next few weeks, it's likely that they will ask you to pay for the journey you made in addition to an admin fee. The issue you have here is that the train company has incorrect contact details for you. Unless you are confident you will be able to access post sent to your old address then I would send an email to GWR's Prosecutions Department )the address will be in their Revenue Protection Policy) and tell them your new address. Simply say you are advising them of your new contact details, no need to start explaining things about banking apps etc when you were stopped.

 

[dinoteen123]

Thank you for all the replies... I will definitely inform them about my address, anybody know about how time it takes for them to write and send a letter on average..

 

[WesternLancer]

Thank you for all the replies... I will definitely inform them about my address, anybody know about how time it takes for them to write and send a letter on average..

Not sure about how long as it depends how busy they are.

Before you send them your new address you can post up draft of what you plan to say if you want wording and layout checking (obv no need to include the old and new address here) ahead of sending it.

 

[talldave]

Thank you for all the replies... I will definitely inform them about my address, anybody know about how time it takes for them to write and send a letter on average..

Apart from the train ticket issue, it's sensible to keep your bank informed of address changes. Bank paperwork going to an old address is just asking for trouble with someone attempting to access your account or impersonate you.

 

[dinoteen123]

Not sure about how long as it depends how busy they are.

Before you send them your new address you can post up draft of what you plan to say if you want wording and layout checking (obv no need to include the old and new address here) ahead of sending it.

Good day,
I am writing this to advise you on my address, I recently got fined at the station, I would like to inform you about the address change. This is my new address (++++), I am extremely sorry for the inconvenience. This is the address i have access gto te post box. The journey was made on 3rd of january from manchester piccadilly to taunton. I am also attaching the photo of the receipt i got. It would be highly appreciated if i could get the fine at the earliest, I am again sorry for travelling without a valid ticket, I will make sure this doesnt happen again. I am ready to pay the fine asap, My mocks are near and would love to get over with this.

regards
name

there are few spelling errors, will fix it before sending

 

[John R]

Good day, Dear Sirs
I am writing this to advise you of my correct address, which is, I recently got fined at the station, I would like to inform you about the address change. This is my new address (++++), I am extremely sorry for the inconvenience to you by me providing an old address. This is the address i have access gto te post box. The journey where I was stopped for not having a valid ticket was made on 3rd of january from manchester piccadilly to taunton. I am also attaching the photo of the receipt i got. It would be highly appreciated if i could get the fine at the earliest, I am again sorry for travelling without a valid ticket, I will make sure this doesnt happen again. I am ready to pay the fine asap, My mocks are near and would love to get over with this.

I look forward to hearing from you in due course, and apologise for having come to your attention.

Yours faithfully

Cleaned this up for you and made it a bit more succinct.

 

[WesternLancer]

Good day, Dear Sirs
I am writing this to advise you of my correct address, which is, I recently got fined at the station, I would like to inform you about the address change. This is my new address (++++), I am extremely sorry for the inconvenience to you by me providing an old address. This is the address i have access gto te post box. The journey where I was stopped for not having a valid ticket was made on 3rd of january from manchester piccadilly to taunton. I am also attaching the photo of the receipt i got. It would be highly appreciated if i could get the fine at the earliest, I am again sorry for travelling without a valid ticket, I will make sure this doesnt happen again. I am ready to pay the fine asap, My mocks are near and would love to get over with this.

I look forward to hearing from you in due course, and apologise for having come to your attention.

Yours faithfully

Cleaned this up for you and made it a bit more succinct.

It needs to clearly state the address that was given when stopped and the new address

Also it should state the date when stopped and the location. Ie if it was at a station the station name. If on a train where was the journey from and to and the date and time of the train if that is known.

As you’ve suggested none of the mitigation should be included at this stage.

It needs to be clearly stated: For the attention of the Revenue Protection Team at the top

Any ref number on any bit of paper should also be included.

To the op. This is just about ensuring they match your case with their existing records and correct your address so you get the vital letter. That is all your communication needs to focus on.

The person who reads it needs to deduce that and act on it in say less than 10 seconds. Make it easy as possible for them.

 

[dinoteen123]

I just send them the mail, hoping for the best.

 

[BRX]

Dear Sirs

It's 2025...

Dear Sir/Madam.

 

[Fawkes Cat]

It's 2025...

Dear Sir/Madam.

Given that the email has already been sent, that advice is probably a bit late. But as someone who (outside the railway) receives this sort of letter, please let me repeat:

As long as the salutation on the letter isn't downright rude, no one cares if you start 'Sir' or 'to whom it may concern ' or 'Dear Sir' or 'Dear Sir or Madam ' or 'Dear Mx Patel ' or anything else. If it's clear that whoever wrote the letter is trying to engage constructively* then that's good enough.

*Engaging constructively can of course include explaining politely why the railway is wrong.

 

[BRX]

I think there are plenty of women who care if they continually receive correspondence that starts with an implied assumption that everyone that matters in an organisation is male.

I think it's worth pointing out whether or not this email has already been sent, for the benefit of those who still haven't caught onto the fact that this is now very old fashioned and not really acceptable.

I do understand that many people using it will do so simply out of habit - with no malicious intent - and never having considered the effect it can have.

 

[dinoteen123]

I send the mail almost 5 days ago, I still haven't received anything... Does GWR usually take this long to respond

 

[Titfield]

I send the mail almost 5 days ago, I still haven't received anything... Does GWR usually take this long to respond

We have seen responses take from a matter of hours to weeks even months. It all depends on workload and whether they are making additional enquiries.

 

[WesternLancer]

I send the mail almost 5 days ago, I still haven't received anything... Does GWR usually take this long to respond

Yes. Usually longer

 

[dinoteen123]

It's almost been 10 days, do you guys think they would reply before they send a letter out?

 

[Hadders]

Did you include a case reference number when you emailed GWR?

 

[RPI]

It can take months, there was again a bit of a backlog lately.

 

[dinoteen123]

Well, I got this reply yesterday
Good afternoon,

Thank you for your emails, and your cooperation. I have thoroughly reviewed our system and can confirm that the report has not yet been received to this office. As such, I will be unable to confirm any details at this time.



I appreciate that this may be frustrating, however I would advise that you contact us again in a few weeks in order for us to review again.



Once again, I appreciate your patience with us whilst we try to resolve this issue for you.





Yours sincerely



What should this mean... The person who took down my details said it will take 2 weeks for them to report me, but it's more than that now. Do you think they missed my name as they have to enter the names manually.