Hi

I’m looking for help. Yesterday while traveling home from work on Heathrow connect, I was asked to show my ticket from a TfL agent. I showed my photo card together with my dads monthly ticket. My photo card number and dads monthly ticket number from his photo card did not match. They questioned me to which I said that I mistakenly took my dads monthly ticket while leaving the house in a hurry.

I was interviewed under caution and said that there is a 50-50 chance of TfL contacting me.

I have been really stupid for taking my dads ticket instead of buying my own. Can someone please help me with further steps? As I have heard this can go to court.

Thanks

Hello and welcome to CAG.

Can you tell us what kind of card your dad has please? And did the TfL agent give it back? Also, have you used it before because they can trace whether the same journey has been made before on that ticket, going back a couple of months.

You'll need to wait for them to write to you, which can take up to 6-8 weeks. Once you know if they're taking action over this, we can advise what to do.

Best, HB

It was my dads monthly ticket issued on his photo card. It is paper ticket with a magnetic strip, will they know if I was using it? The TFL agent did not give it back.

Thanks for helping me HB

You're welcome, we're here to help.

Do you remember what the type of card was? When I googled 75% discount cards, it mentioned they're for staff but maybe there are others.

HB

Both me and my dad work for Heathrow airport and have Airport passes. So with a photocard and a airport pass we get 75% off on monthly tickets. We usually make the same journey to work.

How do I post a picture?

Thank you for that.

So if you also get 75% off, can I ask why you didn't buy your own ticket?

HB

That’s my mistake, I should have got my own ticket. I was trying to save on costs as my dad did not attend work this week.

What concerns me here is that you benefit from a discount because you are an airport employee. If this got back to your employers, it might have ramifications beyond any problems that you have with TfL.

How do I post a picture?

I don't think we need one of the card, but for future reference, it's in our upload guide.

HB

Is there any steps I can take to avoid this? I have made a foolish mistake and I do not want to loose my job.

Can I hope that this would be nothing more than a fine?

I don't think you can do anything about TfL unless and until they write to you. Even if you try to contact them before that, they won't have a case reference for you and won't be able to tell you anything.

We don't know much about the Heathrow staff ticket scheme, have you heard of anyone else at work having similar problems?

HB

Is there any steps I can take to avoid this? I have made a foolish mistake and I do not want to loose my job.

We can't second guess what TfL might do, all you can do is hunt around our forum for similar cases to see what happened to them.

HB

No. I have not come across this before. Thanks for all the help, I’ll look in the forum.

Have you told your father what has happened?

Yes

In that case I think that you should probably discuss it very closely with him. They could be a possibility that he would come under suspicion for having lent you his ticket.

I have to say that although it might be a difficult decision, I always feel that the best thing to do in these situations is to be completely straight dealing. At least then people will believe you when you tell them that you realise that you'd made a silly mistake and that you deftly won't be doing it again. If you try to bluff it through and the truth is found out, it will then look much worse.

Other people who come here might have different advice but my suggestion would be to write to TfL, put your hands up and tell them how silly you realise you've been and that you will accept whatever sanction they want to apply to you and they can be certain that you won't be doing it again.

There is a risk that TfL might contact your employer – I don't know if they do this kind of thing – but on that basis it might have been a good idea to contact your HR and put your cards down on the table.

Of course you need to balance all of this against the possibility of the truth not being found out. I'm sure TfL will write to you and that there will be some kind of sanction. It may be that they don't contact your employers. What is your father going to do about getting a new ticket?

BF, we normally recommend writing to TfL once their letter comes asking for the OP's version of events.

HB

Yes, that's probably best, then

you indicate you did it to save on costs so you've been using it all this last week?

dx

Why are you reporting this Thread?

I want it to be deleted, as I might have shared some personal information. How can I do it?

No we don't allow that however pm me what might need changing or worries you

I sent you PM

Thanks