Hi!
Just wanted to try give a bit of assurance.
Without knowing the details of the case it’s hard to comment, but the general process is as follows:
Following the incident, the train operating company (TOC) has exactly 6 months within which they can initiate legal proceedings. This means the letter can take up to 6 months to arrive.
When it does arrive, you will be asked to respond with your version of events. It is important to highlight that there are two possible outcomes:
1) The TOC agrees to settle the matter out of court. This will involve you paying a sum of money to the TOC (normally the full single fare for the journey + any admin costs the TOC has incurred in investigating the matter. In total, this normally adds up to the full fare + roughly £100).
2) The TOC proceeds with a prosecution in the magistrates court. In this instance, you will be given a Single Justice Procedure Notice (SJPN) and asked to plead either guilty or not guilty (an early guilty plea reduces the fine amount by 33%).
Option 1 is practically always cheaper than option 2 and is the more desirable one. To maximise the chance of getting option 1, it is important to respond to the letter sent from the TOC in an apologetic and constructive manner. Apologise for your mistake, briefly outline what you have learned and what you will change going forward, and offer to pay any outstanding costs and admin fees.
I advise you to post a thread on the website below. This forum is home to a number of experts who specialise in and study rail fares and contract law and are best placed to offer you assistance:
https://www.railforums.co.uk/forums/disputes-prosecutions.152/If you need any help or clarification on anything at all, feel free to ask and I’ll try my best to answer as well as I can!
