TFL Fine... criminal record time, wtf?

So in March this year I hopped on a bus after an interview and a ticket inspector got on with me... I was sorting out my portfolio and the ticket inspector went down the length of the bus to me and asked to see a ticket... I hadn't yet swiped my Oyster card on the reader (it was literally 1 minute since I had got on the bus). I explained that I needed to swipe my card as I just got on and he insisted on taking my details, I assumed this was for his records or something and didn't really twig that I was in the wrong.

I have now received a court summons for £100 and notification that I will be convicted and will have a criminal record, pretty harsh in my opinion, does anyone have any experience of this? The little leaflet I also received explains that you face a £20 penalty fare if you don't have a ticket but will be prosecuted if the inspector believed you were deliberately trying to avoid a fine.

I did receive something through the post back in April or so and wrote a letter saying the above, I assumed they'd be fine with it as I would've had a record of the journey on my Oyster card which I gave them the number for? It appears not, sheesh.

Any advice much appreciated, I'll be ringing them Monday morn.

but you didn't dodge the fare?

try ringing the CAB for free legal advice?

My mate stef at work did the same thing...a while back he was telling me about the whole thing i got bored, zoned out... but will ask him how he dealt with it on monday.

Where's the line drawn though? Running away? Never paying? Grrr... off to the pub me thinks.

I blatently dodged the fare on one of the bendy buses that I had minutes previously called the 'free shuttle'. The inspectors got on, I owned up straight away explaining that I was only going a few stops to visit a colleague in hopsital, they bollocked me, took my details and I heard nothing else.

I think they chase it up if you try and bullshit them.

Maybe karma does have a funny way of catchin up with you, I've had a PCN from TFL today too, I'm fucking raging! Driving my van in Wandsworth across the gyratory, I should have turned right (as per the blue directional signs), but went straight on, (as per the one-way signs on the street I drove into) really odd junction, I genuinely thought I was committing no offence. I'll be contesting this.

I think they chase it up if you try and bullshit them.
Not true. I got fined, because I hadn't swiped. I had to go to court, as I felt I was in the right.......I'd had money on my Oyster, and I felt that I should have been given time to swipe after putting away my 5 bags of groceries. I didn't make a scene, but I said I would happily wait for the police, as I would NOT be giving my date of birth to anyone but a police officer. When the police turned up, they told the TFL inspectors that I was within my rights to only give them my name, address and contact details, but my date of birth was sensitive and priviledged information, and I was right to only give it to the police. I lost the case [izzit coz I is blick?], go figure, and got stung for 200 squid. Yes, a criminal record goes with it; but a minor one.

The best think to do in this cases is to speak to them very polite, and explain whatever you wnat to explain, then give a fake name and an old address

If the police is there, pay the £20 on the spot

Fuck that shit. Calmly step off the bus to give them your details and then run like a motherfucker. Punching the inspector before running is of cours optional and dependant upon the size of said inspector.

I got stopped the other day coming out of my house the ohter day and cycling 15ft own the pavement to get to the nearest junction very slow and soberlike.
Worst thing was that i was stopped by the same bobby only a few months before for hopping onto the pavement to avoid a bus!
I'm genuninely never on the pavement apart from these 2 situations and it got me so mad....just bad luck I spose.

£30 fine!

twats.....ruined my day

run like a motherfucker.

I love that phrase.

I normally don't take much buses, but always I have seen inspector is in the center, I live in Hackney for 4 year and the one time I seen them they where 4 of them at 8 o'colck in the morning.

they have catch me 5 times, 4 I went with the fake name, and one in time in the tube, Fisburry Park, I had to pay the £20

a £20 penalty fine if you don't have a ticket but will be prosecuted if the inspector believed you were deliberately trying to avoid a fare.

harsh but fair?

I didn't make a scene, but I said I would happily wait for the police, as I would NOT be giving my date of birth to anyone but a police officer.

hmmmm

You might well have been within your rights, but you clearly pissed the inspectors off, making them wait for plod, only to be told that they were in the wrong.

If you were a revenue protection officer/jumped up little hitler you'd probably have done the same. But you're not, and neither am I thank fuck, but you get my drift.

I pretended to not speak English when I got caught and got taken off the bus and done my best Manuel impression and they gave me a bollocking and let me go :D

I pretended to not speak English when I got caught and got taken off the bus and done my best Manuel impression and they gave me a bollocking and let me go :D

I thought you only spoke scotch anyway? I'll have none of this ' pretending to not speak English when I don't even really speak English anyway' behaviour...

Have a £300 fine for poor behaviour on the forum.

just pretend you're rik, he speaks and writes a language known only to himself.

"I normally don't take much buses, but always I have seen inspector is in the center, I live in Hackney for 4 year and the one time I seen them they where 4 of them at 8 o'colck in the morning"

So in March this year I hopped on a bus after an interview and a ticket inspector got on with me... I was sorting out my portfolio and the ticket inspector went down the length of the bus to me and asked to see a ticket... I hadn't yet swiped my Oyster card on the reader (it was literally 1 minute since I had got on the bus).

errrr where's the argument? you got on the bus, first thing to do is swipe your Oyster? No? Card swipe fail, move on...

I got stopped the other day coming out of my house the ohter day and cycling 15ft own the pavement to get to the nearest junction very slow and soberlike.
Worst thing was that i was stopped by the same bobby only a few months before for hopping onto the pavement to avoid a bus!
I'm genuninely never on the pavement apart from these 2 situations and it got me so mad....just bad luck I spose.

£30 fine!

twats.....ruined my day

once again my heart is not bleeding

if you cycle on pavement, expect a fine, even if you´re only going 0.4mph and it´s an empty street.

I have to says I agree, usually when a bus approach I take my oyster card out, thought I´m used to the usual double decker and not the bendy bus, either way you still should´ve took them out before entering, unless you were running managing to catch the bus before it departed, I can´t see what´s wrong here?

errrr where's the argument? you got on the bus, first thing to do is swipe your Oyster? No? Card swipe fail, move on...

Alltogetherforlondon!

Had the ticket man been in the bus, would you still pay for the travel?

your situation sounds very similar to mine.

had a dodgy oyster card that sometimes worked and sometimes didn't for years. Never paid on the tube, always jumped the barrier or went trough with other people. if caught I could always say the bloody thing wouldn't work and I am in a rush. But obviously don't use the tube much(I have a bike).

Ride your bike? lest I'm mistaken we're on a TFL forum?

just pretend you're rik, he speaks and writes a language known only to himself.

"I normally don't take much buses, but always I have seen inspector is in the center, I live in Hackney for 4 year and the one time I seen them they where 4 of them at 8 o'colck in the morning"

To be fair, his English is a damn site better than my Spanish...
There are plenty of native English speakers on here who write worse than Rik does.