Used someone else’s 16+ Zip Card

[alexis]

Hello.
I was caught using my sisters 16+ zip card on friday and have just received a letter from tfl about it. I am unsure what to do from here.

Some context:
I am 20
Unemployed
Gap year before university

I feel so guilty for doing what I did, and havent slept properly or eaten properly all these days. I understand that it is completely my fault. I am alone in this and wanted to see if anyone could help me through this?

The thing thats scaring me the most is that I really wanted to apply for pharmacy for uni, i have two interviews for it this week. I am so scared that they wont accept me if they find this. I REALLY cant afford a criminal conviction.

Im really anxious about this. Any help would be very appreciated

 

[notmyrealname]

Hi.

You'll get good help here and I expect the experts will arrive soon. They will probably ask you for more information on what happened so they can give you the best advice.

 

[Brissle Girl]

Welcome to the forum!

Unfortunately, TfL tend to treat offences with free or reduced fair travel cards very seriously, and even before that they have a policy of prosecuting, rather than offering out of court settlements, in respect of any fare evasion. So I think your chances of avoiding prosecution are low unfortunately.

Having said that, please post the letter you have received, with any identifying information redacted, so that we can advise how best to respond.

 

[alexis]

Do you think this prosecution will affect my chances at getting into uni?

 

[WesternLancer]

Hello.
I was caught using my sisters 16+ zip card on friday and have just received a letter from tfl about it. I am unsure what to do from here.

Some context:
I am 20
Unemployed
Gap year before university

I feel so guilty for doing what I did, and havent slept properly or eaten properly all these days. I understand that it is completely my fault. I am alone in this and wanted to see if anyone could help me through this?

The thing thats scaring me the most is that I really wanted to apply for pharmacy for uni, i have two interviews for it this week. I am so scared that they wont accept me if they find this. I REALLY cant afford a criminal conviction.

Im really anxious about this. Any help would be very appreciated

Try not to over worry about this ref your uni applications. I have seen good advice on this aspect of cases on here before so people may be able to give you advice on that aspect too.

 

[alexis]

I have to fill out this form for my interview by tomorrow. Not sure whether to tick yes or no.

Im so scared that theyll see it and deny me the interview before i even get the chance.

 

[WesternLancer]

I have to fill out this form for my interview by tomorrow. Not sure whether to tick yes or no.

Im so scared that theyll see it and deny me the interview before i even get the chance.

well if you have not been convicted, formerly cautioned etc on the date at which you fill the form in (I've not read ever part of the form tho) then I would say you tick 'no' - but the important thing is not to conceal it later if you did get a conviction. So what you do then in that scenario is write a follow up to them with the details explaining that the conviction relates to a public transport ticketing infringement.

The general advice on here is that it's more serious to not tell employers etc about these things than telling them.

Such ticket infringements are so common (it seems esp amongst younger people going by this forum of the number of young people who suddenly wake up to the fact that there may be consequences they had not thought of when fare dodging...) that all such university courses will come across cases like yours.

I think @Fawkes Cat has given good and measured advice on this in the past so may be able to re-post something of help.

 

[alexis]

Okay thank you for your advice so far.
Im planning on writing the email to tfl tomorrow but im not sure what i should / should not include in it.

 

[notmyrealname]

If you post up a draft of what you plan to send people here will help with proof reading.

 

[Hadders]

Welcome to the forum!

Transport for London take misuse of Zip Oyster passes very seriously and a prosecution under the TfL Bylaws is the usual outcome.

It sounds as though you've received a Verification Letter from TfL. This asks you to confirm or deny the incident and ask you to give any mitigating circumstances which you would like them to take into account when deciding how to proceed.

I suggest you mention the following in your reply:

- 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 TfL's administrative costs in dealing with the matter

TfL generally do not offer out of court settlements although in some very limited circumstances they have been known to issue a final warning instead of prosecution. Prosecutions are normally done through what is called a Single Justice Procedure Notice. This means that if you plead guilty it is not necessary to attend court in person (unless you choose to do), you simply return the form to the court with any mitigation you want them to tae into account and they will write to you with the details of the fine you have to pay.

If you are prosecuted and plead guilty (or are found guilty by the court) then you will have to pay:

- A fine based on your income
- A surcharge of 40% of the value of the fine
- A contribution towards TfL's costs
- Compensation for the fares avoided

If you are found guilty then this is a criminal conviction. If you are prosecuted under the TfL Bylaws (which is what normally happens) then the conviction isn't normally recorded on the Police National Computer and won't normally appear on Basic DBS checks although we always advise people to be honest when asked if they have a conviction. A criminal conviction for a railway ticketing matter won't normally adversely affect career prospects.

Here's a link to TfL's Revenue Enforcement & Prosecutions Policy which you might find worth reading:

https://content.tfl.gov.uk/revenue-enforcement-and-prosecutions-policy.pdf

 

[alexis]

if i accept committing an offence with they prosecute straight away? Or is there a chance they will consider an out of court settlement?

 

[Brissle Girl]

if i accept committing an offence with they prosecute straight away? Or is there a chance they will consider an out of court settlement?

Unlikely, as TfL’s policy appears to be to prosecute rather than offer OOC settlements.

But as @Hadders notes, it’s not impossible, and the best thing you can do is be truthful, apologetic, and make it clear that you have learnt your lesson. And then keep your fingers crossed.

 

[alexis]

Ive seen in some other threads where people are saying not to accept (not to deny either) and to just beg for an OOC settlement. Should i outright say that i accept the offence?

 

[Hadders]

if i accept committing an offence with they prosecute straight away? Or is there a chance they will consider an out of court settlement?

Highly unlikely. TfL almost always prosecute for this sort of thing.

Take a look at their Revenue Enforcement & Prosecutions Policy I linked to in my earlier reply.

 

[alexis]

I have drafted an email but im not sure if this is formal enough? Or if it’s even what they wanted to know. Any advice for changes is welcome



Dear Investigations Appeals and Prosecutions Team,

I am writing to you regarding the incident that took place on Friday the 15th of March 2024. I am deeply ashamed and regretful about my actions. I sincerely apologise for what I did and I know now that it was completely wrong to do. I have since learned from my actions and promise to never repeat them or cause any other trouble to TFL.



Due to some unforeseen circumstances, I was not able to perform well in my A-levels, which led me to not being able to attend university this year. It has been my dream to study pharmacy and graduate to work as a pharmacist for my community, and I know that any criminal conviction would not allow me to pursue that. I am currently working very hard and studying to retake my A-levels in the hopes that I will get to attend the pharmacy course at university this year. I want to ask if you will consider an out of court settlement. I completely understand that I am in no way entitled to this, but I wanted to ask incase it was possible, so that I do not lose out on the chance of having my dream career.



I am an unemployed gap year student who is really struggling financially and mentally. This is of course not an excuse for my behaviour. I cannot begin to explain the remorse that I feel, knowing what I have done is completely wrong. It has been a long few days of sleepless nights and no appetite, and my anxiety is overwhelming regarding this matter.I apologise to anyone involved who has been affected by my actions.



I would like to ask if you could please consider my future education and career plans when making your decision.



Again, I am very sorry for my actions and hope you will forgive my mistakes. Thank you for taking the time to listen to me.

 

[WesternLancer]

I have drafted an email but im not sure if this is formal enough? Or if it’s even what they wanted to know. Any advice for changes is welcome



Dear Investigations Appeals and Prosecutions Team,

I am writing to you regarding the incident that took place on Friday the 15th of March 2024. I am deeply ashamed and regretful about my actions. I sincerely apologise for what I did and I know now that it was completely wrong to do. I have since learned from my actions and promise to never repeat them or cause any other trouble to TFL.



Due to some unforeseen circumstances, I was not able to perform well in my A-levels, which led me to not being able to attend university this year. It has been my dream to study pharmacy and graduate to work as a pharmacist for my community, and I know that any criminal conviction would not allow me to pursue that. I am currently working very hard and studying to retake my A-levels in the hopes that I will get to attend the pharmacy course at university this year. I want to ask if you will consider an out of court settlement. I completely understand that I am in no way entitled to this, but I wanted to ask incase it was possible, so that I do not lose out on the chance of having my dream career.



I am an unemployed gap year student who is really struggling financially and mentally. This is of course not an excuse for my behaviour. I cannot begin to explain the remorse that I feel, knowing what I have done is completely wrong. It has been a long few days of sleepless nights and no appetite, and my anxiety is overwhelming regarding this matter.I apologise to anyone involved who has been affected by my actions.



I would like to ask if you could please consider my future education and career plans when making your decision.



Again, I am very sorry for my actions and hope you will forgive my mistakes. Thank you for taking the time to listen to me.

you need to end by asking for something you want as an outcome - that's not asking them to listen to you it's asking for what you want them to do or not to do (presume in this case it would be not to prosecute you but to allow you to resolve the situation by paying any evaded fares due)

It's v important that you end any letter with a request of what you would like them to do.

Think about an additional last sentence that covers this. At the mo your request for an out of court settlement is buried in the middle of a letter in a paragraph that will most likely be skimmed over or ignored completely.

 

[Pushpit]

Pharmacists need to maintain a very high level of "fitness to practice", for pretty obvious reasons, so getting a conviction isn't good news. In some ways the criteria is set higher than it is with GPs. I would ask / beg TfL to offer an out of court settlement given the circumstances, though they seem unlikely to offer this. That said, it's a conviction at the lower end of the scale, and while it would make things difficult for you, I don't think it will have a terminating effect on your career. Showing honesty about it, and being open to what happened will count for something. Being anxious about this is natural and to some degree healthy, but it's important to realise that you will come out of this in due course.

 

[alexis]

Is this okay?
Its been a week and i really should send this email to them soon. Im just unsure whether this is okay or not

Dear Investigations Appeals and Prosecutions Team,

I am writing to you regarding the incident that took place on Friday the 15th of March 2024. I am deeply ashamed and regretful about my actions. I sincerely apologise for what I did and I know now that it was completely wrong to do. I have since learned from my actions and promise to never repeat them or cause any other trouble to TFL.



Due to some unforeseen circumstances, I was not able to perform well in my A-levels, which led me to not being able to attend university this year. It has been my dream to study pharmacy and graduate to work as a pharmacist for my community, and I know that any criminal conviction would not allow me to pursue that. I am currently working very hard and studying to retake my A-levels in the hopes that I will get to attend the pharmacy course at university this year. I want to ask if you will consider an out of court settlement. I completely understand that I am in no way entitled to this, but I wanted to ask incase it was possible, so that I do not lose out on the chance of having my dream career.



I am an unemployed gap year student who is really struggling financially and mentally. This is of course not an excuse for my behaviour. I cannot begin to explain the remorse that I feel, knowing what I have done is completely wrong. It has been a long few days of sleepless nights and no appetite, and my anxiety is overwhelming regarding this matter.I apologise to anyone involved who has been affected by my actions.



I would like to ask if you could please consider my future education and career plans when making your decision.



Again, I am very sorry for my actions and hope you will forgive my mistakes. And I hope you will allow us to settle this out of court without any criminal convictions.



Thank you for taking the time to listen to me.

Hi guys if anyone could please let me know if thats okay to send? The ten days for a reply are almost up and im getting more nervous. I should reply to then soon

 

[WesternLancer]

Is this okay?
Its been a week and i really should send this email to them soon. Im just unsure whether this is okay or not

Dear Investigations Appeals and Prosecutions Team,

I am writing to you regarding the incident that took place on Friday the 15th of March 2024. I am deeply ashamed and regretful about my actions. I sincerely apologise for what I did and I know now that it was completely wrong to do. I have since learned from my actions and promise to never repeat them or cause any other trouble to TFL.



Due to some unforeseen circumstances, I was not able to perform well in my A-levels, which led me to not being able to attend university this year. It has been my dream to study pharmacy and graduate to work as a pharmacist for my community, and I know that any criminal conviction would not allow me to pursue that. I am currently working very hard and studying to retake my A-levels in the hopes that I will get to attend the pharmacy course at university this year. I want to ask if you will consider an out of court settlement. I completely understand that I am in no way entitled to this, but I wanted to ask incase it was possible, so that I do not lose out on the chance of having my dream career.



I am an unemployed gap year student who is really struggling financially and mentally. This is of course not an excuse for my behaviour. I cannot begin to explain the remorse that I feel, knowing what I have done is completely wrong. It has been a long few days of sleepless nights and no appetite, and my anxiety is overwhelming regarding this matter.I apologise to anyone involved who has been affected by my actions.



I would like to ask if you could please consider my future education and career plans when making your decision.



Again, I am very sorry for my actions and hope you will forgive my mistakes. And I hope you will allow us to settle this out of court without any criminal convictions.



Thank you for taking the time to listen to me.

Hi guys if anyone could please let me know if thats okay to send? The ten days for a reply are almost up and im getting more nervous. I should reply to then soon

Looks OK - I'd just be tempted to tweak the final line eg 'Thank you for taking the time to consider my request' but that's not a big deal.

 

[furlong]

Was this truly a single isolated instance, the only time you did this? If they look at the usage record of the card, will it look like that to them?
If the answer to both questions is 'yes' then consider whether also to mention this in the letter. If you've done it before or it might look like that from the usage record, then don't.

 

[antharro]

Usually I'd suggest cutting out all the part about not sleeping, unemployment, etc as frankly, they won't care. But I think in your case, given your age and stage in life, it can't hurt to give them a bit more context. Even if makes no difference, you will at least have tried. I agree with @WesternLancer about the final line.

 

[furlong]

Usually I'd suggest cutting out all the part about not sleeping, unemployment, etc as frankly, they won't care. But I think in your case, given your age and stage in life, it can't hurt to give them a bit more context. Even if makes no difference, you will at least have tried.

Yes I would also leave it all in.

 

[alexis]

Okay thanks guys, gonna send in the email rn

 

[red29]

Okay thanks guys, gonna send in the email rn

Have they reply you yet?

 

[Elecman]

Have they reply you yet?

Please start your own thread if you need advise as no 3 situations are identical