There are potentially serious implications to a prosecution for fare evasion or TFL oyster card offences. Railway and train companies are increasingly seeking to crack down on fare evasion, and we are seeing large number of people being prosecuted in the courts for what appear to be very minor infractions.
Fare evasion is punished in court by a fine of up to £1,000. However, the imposition of a criminal conviction often carries far more serious consequences and could lead to the loss of your job.
A genuine mistake or misunderstanding can still result in these consequences. However, the Prosecutions Units are typically more concerned with deliberate Fare Evasion, such as buying tickets which do not cover the whole journey or travelling on expired Railcards. In the case of TfL, they tend to prosecute the misuse of ‘high value’ travel cards (Freedom Passes, Zip Cards and weekly or monthly passes).
It is extremely important to know that, with the right approach, a criminal conviction can be avoided. This is what we seek to achieve on your behalf, by settling the matter out of court.
We can step in on your behalf to seek to prevent a criminal prosecution at any stage prior to a court hearing date. However, we recommend that this is done as early as possible in the proceedings to maximise your chance of success.
Reeds’ Fare Evasion Solicitors can provide advice and services throughout England and Wales. If meeting in person isn’t possible, we can offer remote consultations through Zoom, Teams, Skype and WhatsApp. We can also often offer appointments outside normal office hours.
Obtaining legal advice at an early stage is crucial. If you would like to discuss any aspect of your case, please email us at fareevasion@reeds.co.uk or contact us here. Alternatively, you can phone 0333 240 7373
Recent Case Studies
D was travelling home on a ticket which did not cover the full journey. There were no barriers at his destination station, so the Ticket Inspector was immediately suspicious of the explanation given that it was a simple mistake. D had written to Transport Investigations Limited (acting as agents for Transport for Wales) to ask them not to prosecute but they responded that they were pressing ahead with the court case, which was only one week away by the time that Reeds were instructed. We submitted representations and the matter was settled out of court.
E was a medical student, who used his sibling’s 11-16 Zip Card to travel on the London Underground with a 50% discount. TFL wrote to him to verify his details, which would normally lead to a prosecution. Reeds were instructed to write representations to avoid a criminal conviction. We submitted a detailed letter with more than 10 accompanying documents and TFL agreed to issue a Warning Letter instead of a prosecution.
B was travelling by train over an 8-month period, purchasing ‘short tickets’ as well as reusing tickets multiple times. The train company noticed this suspicious pattern and wrote to him, inviting him for a voluntary interview under caution. Reeds Solicitors intervened on his behalf, cancelling the interview process and instead submitting representations. The matter was settled out of court.
F was caught using a ticket, which was invalidated because she had misapplied a railcard discount. She was told to expect to receive a letter from the train company and was extremely concerned about how a prosecution might impact her career in finance. She immediately instructed Reeds Solicitors to contact the train company proactively, which prevented any threatening letter being sent out to her. The matter was discretely settled out of court.
