I caught the loughborough to leicester train on tuesday night ( 8.pm ish it was late) nobody came to collect fares the conductor was in the other end at the back..one passenger summonsed him so he coulds pay his fare.. i stood firm and rode it out
anyway we pulled into the station and i was expecting to pay at the kiosk for unpaid fares..it was closed
no ticket for barrier
so i just shuffled through behind some chap who had a ticket....free ride
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This used to happen to us a lot travelling into Manchester from our nearest station. The journey can take 12 minutes and there's one other stop. So by the time you get into Manchester the conductor has not had time to sell you a ticket. And the ticket office closes fairly early at the weekend and earlier still during the week.
But at Piccadilly these days there tends to be staff checking for tickets and if you've not got one you have to queue up for the two staff with a ticket machine. The queue can be long! These days there is now a ticket machine on the platform selling tickets if you pay by card.
What is more surprising is how little attention is paid when they actually check your ticket. It could be an old ticket. A ticket for a different journey. And they never clip/mark the ticket. You could then use it again later that day and it would still be a valid ticket! Not that we do that of course.
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On most (all?) of the routes I take they have penalty fares - if you don't have a ticket to show the conductor you risk a fine, not just having to buy a ticket. I play it safe.
Last edited by: Focusless on Thu 31 Jan 13 at 13:47
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Until recently, there was no automatic ticket machine at our station. So if you couldn't buy a ticket on the train it would be unfair to have a penalty fair in this situation. If you're not given an opportunity to buy a ticket what can you do?
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In a penalty fare area then, in the absence of an automatic ticket machine there should be a machine issuing 'permits to travel'.
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I've donme it a couple of times whilst under the influence - slight pangs of guilt but not much.
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It's an odd system on London Midland. Conductors can sell tickets but not charge a penalty fare. The people who can levy penalties are the Revenue Protection Inspectors. While they very occasionally ride the trains they're usually at the main stations with automatic barriers. They won't let you through without a ticket even if your train is about to go.
Passengers from non-barrier stations like Leighton Buzzard can easily board without a ticket and, provided they choose a train that arrives at Euston on platforms other than 8-11 they can just walk off.
Strangely the conductor, if he chooses to check tickets after LB, sells lots from that station!!
I've suggested that those buying on train should have to give/prove name address and that repeat offenders should be interrogated - as used to be case. But they seem happy to let the fiddlers get away.
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I encountered what I expect was a bizarre relic of British Rail at the weekend.
I'd driven my Volvo 360 to Harwich docks, to hand it over to its new owner, who had come from Holland on the Hook-Harwich ferry to collect it. For those who don't know the port, there is a railway station built in to the arrivals terminal, where ferry foot passengers can pass through the Border, and immediately step on to a railway platform and board a train. In the ferry arrivals hall is a Rail Ticket Office. I arrived a little early on Saturday to meet the 20:00 docking ferry, and clocked that the ticket office was open, so I thought right, time to get a quick drink and snack, then wander up to the ticket window to purchase my one way ticket back to Reading, assuming it'll stay open for the ferry passengers.
Off I saunters, and I arrive back at the ticket office at 19.35. Closed. Then I see the notice by the window - ticket office closes at 19.30. A mere 30 minutes before the last ferry of the day arrives, disgorging foot passengers in need of rail tickets to their UK destination. Staggering. Railway blokey then appears at the door of the ticket office and sees me there, agog. He gives a little giggle and, reopens the ticket office to sell me my ticket. Very nice of him.
Then he proceeds to stand in the arrivals hall, and greet the foot passengers off the ferry, and cheerfully point them to the correct platforms for their rail services. A few need tickets, and he advises them that they can be purchased on board the train, should there be a conductor. Much raising of eyebrows and confused glancing at the closed ticket office window, followed by shrugging of shoulders and shaking of heads as the passengers proceed to the platforms.
And they wonder why there's not much money in running a railway.
Last edited by: Alanović on Thu 31 Jan 13 at 15:32
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Some years ago we were on a train in Scotland. Conductor didn't come round and we got off in, I think, Glasgow. Conductor got off at the same time and I went to see him to buy tickets but he just smiled and sent us on our way.
Maybe it's the scottish way of welcoming tourists.
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Northern are one of the few operators which let you buy saver tickets on the train. E.g saver return. Most operators make you pay full price if you buy the ticket on the train. However Northern know a lot of their stations are not staffed or have ticket machines.
I often go from Urmston to Irlam without paying as ticket office is shut and no machines. Its an 8 minute train ride, saves hassle of getting across the canal via the M60 or via Eccles.
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It's Northern we use as you probably know Rattle. And I did wonder about full/saver tickets. But if there are no ticket offices open and the 'train manager' (or whatever they call the bloke on the train) is not available.
The ticket machine at our station takes only cards. And someone was taken ages to use it the last time (so nobody else got a chance before the train arrived).
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Yep not an issue at all with Northern, they are only operator with a policy of offering the cheapest rates even if you pay on the train.
It do think its mad the amount of money the TOCs must be loosing though but I suspect the times of day the offices are shut are the times the TOCs make very little money. I believe off peak fairs are regulated so the train companies don't make as much money from then as peak tickets, where they can more less charge what they like on a supply and demand basis.
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If we travelled into Manchester on say a Sunday, the ticket office is open to at least mid afternoon. And if you still got on the train without a ticket and didn't buy one there.... you'd not get off the platform without buying one.
In the week, by late morning the ticket office is shut. And if you didn't get one on the train you'd probably get away with it. You'd probably have to get it on the train.
So for my journey I think Northern have got it right - if the ticket office was open later in the week they'd sell few tickets. It's a popular service at the weekend and no doubt very popular in the mornings too for getting into work. If worked in the city centre (not done that since 1996) I'd get the train for sure. And MediaCity is a train and a tram ride away.
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When I was but a lad I used to get the train to school.
Bought a weekly ticket which was pre printed and they used a bog standard date stamp to stamp it.
A quick dab with a wet finger and the date was smudged.
Saved myself a fortune - of course I still took the train fare from my dad though...
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When I saw younger and at university in Manchester, a friend took a pencil to a ticket and altered the date. The change was spotted and they went to court and were found guilty of whatever the offence is and were fined.
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Get caught doing that it is a more serious offence than being caught without a ticket.
A lot of people still ride the met for free, what annoys me is in the evening they never seem to check the tickets and they seem to get away with it :(.
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one of the stops is at an unmanned station that has a permit to travel machine...you can just pay 5pence to get issued with one then you are supposed to pay the difference once on board
its been vandalised more times than i can think so nine times out of ten your travelling without a ticket and risking a twenty quid fine
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free train rides - rtj70
