TFL letter - accidental carry resulting in 1 use of mothers freedom pass

[Thesystem2000]

Hello All,   I’m feeling extremely stressed out and anxious after being pulled over by a revenue protection officer at the station and being told I was using a discounted travel card. I had a panic attack as I knew I must’ve got the wrong travel card. The RPO said I can have a £40 on the Spot fine as I’ve never been in this situation and was extremely anxious I let him continue with the questioning. I pulled out the TravelCard and and realised I had my mother’s freedom pass in the Travel wallet. I told the RPO that this was a genuine mistake, and I must’ve accidentally picked it up from the side pot that I keep all the passes in. I’ve been feeling extremely anxious and sickly for the last week and received a letter on Friday-saying that I committed a offence and can be prosecuted. I have been given two options to respond and deny or accept the situation explaining the circumstances. I feel absolutely mortified with what has happened as I seriously did not know that I had the wrong pass on me and I now in hindsight, I should’ve just paid the £40 fine but at the time I thought it was like a PCN whereby you can appeal and then pay the fine, but I did not realise the seriousness of the Offence.    I just want some advice on how to go about responding to TFL regarding this matter. thank you

[dx100uk]

use the email address on the letter to send what you've said here almost.

as long as you have not done this before and it's a human 'mistake' i cant see you getting a criminal record and they should accept your OOC settlement or simply give a warning letter.

lots of threads here 

Public transport (Trains, tubes and buses) - Consumer Action Group

you will need to address WHY you picked her card up. and why you keep taking YOUR out of your wallet?

[honeybee13]

Hi.

When they check the history of the Freedom Pass, are they going to find it's been used for the same journey more than once?

You need to be writing to explain how it happened and ask them if they will allow you to reimburse them for the missing fare and their reasonable admin expenses. You need to show remorse for the incident, that you understand why Freedom card abuse is a problem and to show what steps you've taken to make sure it doesn't happen again. Something more than 'I promise it won't happen again'.

Be careful with the explanation of picking up the wrong card, especially if this wasn't the first time. They've heard this story many times.

Post up your letter here and we'll help you to refine it.

HB

[Thesystem2000]

Thank you for your reply HB13 & DX100uk

In all honesty I hardly use the underground as I drive everywhere. Its only when I got flagged up by the revenues officer was when I realised something was wrong. I may have used it before and not even known I had but looking at the days I have gone out which are the odd few it seems like the pass has only been used a handful of times if that.

I have drafted a letter based on my scenario and what was said to the revenues officer  please let me know if this is ok:

To whom it may concern

TFL case number: ************

Firstly, I want to thank TFL for giving me the chance to explain my behaviour. I appreciate the seriousness and stupidity of what I have done, and I deeply apologise for my actions. I hope to explain how a prosecution would leave myself and my family in a very difficult situation.

My actions are inexcusable; I know that TFL are only able to operate if everyone pays their fare and I feel so guilty about attempting to breach public trust by using a freedom pass that's meant to help the most vulnerable in our society and that I had no right to use, I haven’t been able to sleep as a result.

I have recently been suffering with mental health conditions including anxiety, depression and I suffer from panic attacks over the last few years after being a caregiver for my brother who passed away with Cancer (refer to letter attached) and whilst there is no excuse for my behaviour, I’d like to explain that when being questioned by the Revenue Protection Officer (RPO) I suffered an acute panic attack as I was in shock as I personally did not know that I had even taken my mother’s Freedom Pass until the RPO approached me and asked to see the card and that’s when my anxiety set in and I’d like to sincerely apologise for my emotional behaviour to the specific officer and TFL for that. 

Once being pulled to one side and questioned; I was absolutely mortified with the situation and was compliant with the revenue inspector explaining the situation. I was told that I could pay a £40 fine but where I was literally having a panic attack nothing was making sense and as I was in a panic stricken state. I thought he was saying I’ll be getting a fine (like a PCN) which I then have to appeal but I obviously got my wires crossed.

I am a full-time Carer for my disabled mother who was diagnosed with Mild Incognitive Impairment last year (refer to document attached) and was sectioned years prior due to mental health. My mother's physical and mental health condition has worsened over the last year, and this has taken a major toll on myself with her being in and out of hospital; she had a life-threatening hernia operation in December 2022 and then her mental health started to deteriorate.  Over the last few months, she has been suffering with extreme high blood pressure and in November 2023 she was admitted into hospital to be monitored as her high BP could have resulted in her having a stroke. On top of this my nephew (his father passed away from cancer) had a major operation after they found a cyst on his brain, all these events have been challenging and have put me under immense stress.

I am the main point of contact and carer for my mother from her GP appointment’s, personal hygiene, shopping to days out and travelling. Due to her forgetfulness as her mental health is declining, I keep her travel pass alongside my own. Normally we leave the house together for our journeys, on this occasion I must have been in autopilot when leaving home and accidently picked up her travel pass from the side/pot instead of my own - I can only once again apologise for my mistake, but I have been under untold pressure/strain and hope that you can take this into consideration.

I have never been in trouble with the law in the past and I ensure that I won’t be in the future. I rarely use the London Underground and when I do, I will be using my oyster card (PAYG). Ever since the incident (and especially since receiving the letter) my anxiety and panic disorders have been unbearable, and my heart rate and blood pressure have been higher than normal as a result. I fear the heightened stress of being prosecuted coupled with my existing mental health issues will negatively impact my health during this time and have an adverse effect on my family especially my mother as I am her sole carer at present.

I am the main pillar of support for my mother, my household and my brother’s family and if I have this cloud of prosecution hanging over me it will make it even more difficult for me to function. I also intend on pursuing a part/time job in the teaching field in the coming months and a criminal conviction would negatively impact every aspect of that and whilst I know that I have no one to blame but myself, I’m hoping you can show me some leniency in this matter.

I am happy to make immediate payment of all unpaid fares and any incurred costs that my actions have caused. Whilst I know what I did was wrong and I’d really like the opportunity to make amends, I hope that I’ve explained myself well and provided enough evidence, if you need anything further from me to help you reach your decision, please let me know. Thank you again. 

Yours Faithfully,

My Name

[honeybee13]

Please could we see an anonymised version of the letter they sent you?

I'm afraid your letter is far too long and spends a lot of time talking about your own health, your mother's and the sad loss of your brother. TfL aren't likely to listen to a sob story, or you could maybe have one short paragraph about the strains you're under. Sadly, if you start mentioning anxiety it begs the question of the best way to alleviate anxiety being to pay the right far in the first place.

You haven't said what steps you've taken to make sure this doesn't happen again because they will want to know that you've learned your lesson and won't repeat the fare-dodging. 'I will ensure' is unlikely to convince them.

You've said you will always use your own Oyster card but we don't know how the mix up happened. You could for instance mark the wallets of your own and the Freedom card Oyster so that you know whose is which.

Perhaps you could redraft a shorter letter, one side of A4 maximum, with one paragraph of sob story and more explanation of the mix-up, plus future steps to avoid being in the same position again.

Be aware that they can check the history of the card's use, which is why I asked if it could show the same journey. I can't remember if the card owner can check its history as well.

Address the letter to the person who wrote to you, if there's a name.

HB

[Thesystem2000]

TfL Letter (8).pdf

[honeybee13]

Something's gone wrong with your upload, sadly.

HB

[Thesystem2000]

thank you for your reply HB13,

 

I.m having issues uploading the TFL letter - I will cut the letter down and do another draft in terms of the mix up the oyster cards are kept together on the side and I accidently picked her on up as there both in the. blue wallet. I will emphasis that I will label these so that mistake never happens again 

[honeybee13]

Have you read our upload guide? Click on the word and it takes you to a new page.

ETA: As regards marking Freedom and Oyster cards, I don't think it's allowed to write on them. You need to do something about wallets IMO.

HB

[Thesystem2000]

Hi HB13, 

In answer to your question "When they check the history of the Freedom Pass, are they going to find it's been used for the same journey more than once? The answer is NO as I always drive the FP has only been used on a handful of ocassion all from different locations.

 

 

[honeybee13]

Thank you. 

How are you getting on with the upload?

HB

[Thesystem2000]

To whom it may concern

TFL case number: ****

Firstly, I want to thank TFL for giving me the chance to explain my behaviour. I appreciate the seriousness and stupidity of what I have done, and I deeply apologise for my actions. I hope to explain how a prosecution would leave myself and my family in a very difficult situation.

My actions are inexcusable; I know that TFL are only able to operate if everyone pays their fare and I feel so guilty about attempting to breach public trust by using a freedom pass that's meant to help the most vulnerable in our society and that I had no right to use, I haven’t been able to sleep as a result.

I have recently been suffering with mental health conditions including anxiety, depression and I suffer from panic attacks over the last few years after being a caregiver for my brother who passed away with Cancer (refer to letter attached) and whilst there is no excuse for my behaviour, I’d like to explain that when being questioned by the Revenue Protection Officer (RPO) I suffered an acute panic attack as I was in shock as I personally did not know that I had even taken my mother’s Freedom Pass until the RPO approached me and asked to see the card.

Once being pulled to one side and questioned; I was absolutely mortified and was compliant with the revenue inspector explaining the situation. I am a full-time Carer for my disabled mother who was diagnosed with Mild Incognitive Impairment last year (refer to document attached) her physical and mental health condition has worsened, and this has taken a major toll on myself with her being in and out of hospital for high BP which could have led to a stroke and she also had a major Hernia operation; all these events have been challenging and have put me under immense stress.

Due to her forgetfulness, I keep her travel pass alongside my own and there both kept in identical blue oyster wallets on the side/pot. My mother has a tendency of taking the travel card and misplacing it and on this occasion, she may have taken my pass and left her one on the side. I left the house assuming I had my travel card but accidently picked up her travel pass; I will label the travel passes so that this never happens again - this has been a hard lesson learnt.

I have never been in trouble with the law in the past and I ensure that I won’t be in the future. I rarely use the London Underground and when I do, I will be using my oyster card (PAYG) with the travel wallet being labelled for my use. Ever since the incident (especially since receiving the letter) my anxiety and panic disorders have been unbearable; I fear the heightened stress of being prosecuted coupled with my existing mental health issues will negatively impact my health during this time especially my mother as I am her sole carer at present.

I am the main pillar of support for my mother/household and brother’s family and if I have this cloud of prosecution hanging over me it will make it even more difficult for me to function. I also intend on pursuing a part/time job in the teaching field in the coming months and a criminal conviction would negatively impact every aspect of that and whilst I know that I have no one to blame but myself, I’m hoping you can show me some leniency in this matter.

I am happy to make immediate payment of all unpaid fares and any incurred costs that my actions have caused. Whilst I know what I did was wrong and I’d really like the opportunity to make amends, I hope that I’ve explained myself well and provided enough evidence, if you need anything further from me to help you reach your decision, please let me know. Thank you again. 

Yours Faithfully,
My Name

 

 

TfL Letter (8).pdf

[honeybee13]

I'll have a look later when I have my computer  

I wouldn't start with To whom it may concern, it sounds like AI. If you don't have a name put Dear sir.

Don't offer to pay 'all fares' if that isn't what they're asking. That's why we need to see the letter. 

HB

[Thesystem2000]

I have attached the letter above

Should I mention I was asked to pay the £40 FINE 

 

[dx100uk]

so no pattern. you might be lucky and get a warning letter.

[honeybee13]

2 hours ago, Thesystem2000 said:

I have attached the letter above

Should I mention I was asked to pay the £40 FINE 

 

It can't have been a fine, only a court can impose that. What would you propose to say about the conversation with the inspector about paying £40?

HB

[honeybee13]

I've read your letter and I'm really sorry, for me it has too much about you, your family's health and the effect on your family. Depending on how the conversation about paying £40 went, it might be worth adding that.

This is a suggested format I proposed to someone else.

Paragraph 1 a short explanation of why you had the wrong card on the day you were caught

Paragraph 2 you know you made a mistake and you regret it

Paragraph 3 you understand how what you did is wrong and the effect it has on TfL

Paragraph 4 you have taken action - tell them what - to ensure that this doesn't happen again

Paragraph 5 you ask if they would allow you to pay the outstanding fare and their administrative costs to resolve this

Please don't copy and paste what I've said, use your own words.

I don't mean to be unsympathetic but I don't suppose TfL will be. They don't want a sob story, they want to know as I've said, that you've understood what you did wrong and won't repeat it.

HB

[Grotesque]

Indeed, at this stage of the game, the OP needs hard facts. It's demonstrating an understanding of where things have gone wrong in the actualité that (could) make the difference between a court appearance or not.

[Thesystem2000]

Thanks for your feedback, I have redrafted the letter making changes and trying to stick to the hard facts. It is less that a A4 side and I have cut out all the health issues  other than what was relevant etc. Hope this one is ok:

Dear Sir/Madam,

TFL case number: ****

Firstly, I want to thank TFL for giving me the chance to explain my behaviour. I appreciate the seriousness and stupidity of what I have done, and I deeply apologise for my actions which are  inexcusable; I know that TFL are only able to operate if everyone pays their fare and I feel so guilty about attempting to breach public trust by using a freedom pass that's meant to help the most vulnerable in our society and that I had no right to use, I haven’t been able to sleep as a result.

Since receiving this letter, I have been feeling extremely stressed out and anxious after being pulled over by a Revenue Protection Officer (RPO) at the station and being told I was using a discounted travel card.  I had a panic attack as I knew I must have got the wrong travel card and realised I had my mother’s freedom pass in the travel wallet which he confiscated. I told the RPO that this was a genuine mistake, and I must’ve accidentally picked it up from the side/pot where I keep all the travel passes. The RPO said I can have a £40 fine which I assumed is received in the post like a PCN that you can appeal and then pay the fine but that has not been the case. 

My mother was diagnosed with Mild Incognitive Impairment last year (refer to document attached) her physical and mental health has worsened hence I keep her travel pass alongside my own and they are kept in identical blue oyster wallets on the side/pot. My mother has a tendency of taking the travel cards and misplacing them. On this occasion she may have taken my pass and left her one on the side, I exited the house assuming I had my travel card but accidently picked up her travel pass which was a genuine mistake on my part. I will label the travel passes so that this never happens again - this has been a hard lesson learnt.

I understand that the TfL can only operate if everyone pays for their fare correctly, and in using my mother’s oyster card, I have broken the implicit trust that TfL has in their commuters. I am sincerely remorseful and ashamed of myself, and I fully appreciate the severity and stupidity of my transgressions. Again, I would like to offer my sincerest apologies.

I have never been in trouble with the law in the past and I ensure that I won’t be in the future. I rarely use the London Underground and when I do, I will be using my oyster card (PAYG) with the travel wallet being labelled for my use so that this never happens again.

I also intend on pursuing a part/time job in the teaching field in the coming months and a criminal conviction would negatively impact every aspect of that and whilst I know that I have no one to blame but myself, I’m hoping you can show me some leniency in this matter.

I would like to make a humble appeal to TFL to allow me to settle this matter out of court and avoid going to prosecution given the adverse consequences it can have on me and my family. I would really appreciate if I can be given the opportunity to pay for any unpaid fares plus any charges and/or administrative cost which have been incurred by TFL due to this incident. I hope that I’ve explained myself well and provided enough evidence, if you need anything further from me to help you reach your decision, please let me know. Thank you again. 

Yours Faithfully,
My Name

 

[Thesystem2000]

Hi, do you think this draft is ok HB13 & dx100uk as my 10 day deadline is tomorrow 

[honeybee13]

Hi.

I think it still goes over the same ground a couple of times but it's better now. I have a couple of questions.

Why are you offering to pay 'fares' when their paperwork only seems to mention the one on the day you were stopped? Can you check the card usage on your mother's online account for the Freedom card?

Last time I saw a photo of a Freedom pass, the wallet was red and said something like 'Paid for by your local council. Why was it in a blue wallet?

HB

 

[Thesystem2000]

I offered to pay the fare as I did not pay due to having the FP and for the inconvenience.

Im not sure about about checking usage online but I’ll try & that’s how my mum gave me the freedom pass to take care of in the oyster wallet from months ago

 

 

Edited January 23 by Thesystem2000

[Thesystem2000]

Do I need to make any changes or it’s ok as it is? 

Edited January 23 by Thesystem2000

[honeybee13]

I would have a look at this paragraph as I don't think it's very clear about what you mean. Especially 'and I ensure that I won’t be in the future'

I have never been in trouble with the law in the past and I ensure that I won’t be in the future. I rarely use the London Underground and when I do, I will be using my oyster card (PAYG) with the travel wallet being labelled for my use so that this never happens again.

HB

[Thesystem2000]

Yes I noticed that and have also made some changes to other paragraphs, I have never been in this situation and feel horrendous. Ive looked at the no of times I've gone out and taken my mother but again idk if she had my card and I had her card but from mid Sept 2023 to Jan 15th the FP has been used 8 times if that and at different locations