Why do some people get frustrated when their ticket doesn't get checked when travelling by train?

[The exile]

The only time I tend to get any check is on a intercity service (provided we aren't crush loaded) or on a little branch line I use where I buy my ticket from the guard onboard, I do think better RPI positioning could be utilised especially if there is known events going on,

Try travelling on MetroWest services - plenty of checks round here (quite rightly!).

 

[Dr Hoo]

I just did Leeds-Horsforth and return, with no ticket check.

Outbound was a Northern class 170, stopping at Burley Park and Headingley on the way (neither is gated). Return was on the LNER (so wasn't expecting a check, to be honest, it's a long walk for the numbers who board).

How frustrated were you? Did you pass the barriers at Leeds or had you changed from/to another service?

 

[YorksLad12]

How frustrated were you? Did you pass the barriers at Leeds or had you changed from/to another service?

Passed through the *gates*

I was slightly miffed; I could have saved a bit by buying an LNER return rather than the Northern Off-Peak Standard (or whatever they call it). Apart from that, I enjoyed my walk up the hill, lunch, and walk back down, so I wasn't too fussed. It was more that I would have expected a ticket check on the Northern service; they were probably waiting until Horsforth, the West Yorkshire boundary station. That happens on TPE sometimes as well, at Huddersfield.

 

[johntea]

Burley Park / Headingley / Horsforth may not be gated but they're a very popular location for Northern to stick some revenue protection at!

You could probably travel on that LNER service from Harrogate to (at least) Wakefield for the next 100 years and not get checked even though the guard does generally walk down the service in the Leeds to Harrogate direction to check any passengers for Horsforth are in a coach they can actually depart the train from

 

[duffield]

Burley Park / Headingley / Horsforth may not be gated but they're a very popular location for Northern to stick some revenue protection at!

You could probably travel on that LNER service from Harrogate to (at least) Wakefield for the next 100 years and not get checked even though the guard does generally walk down the service in the Leeds to Harrogate direction to check any passengers for Horsforth are in a coach they can actually depart the train from

I've travelled from Grantham to Leeds/Harrogate quite a few times recently, and I've never been checked once. I have mostly been checked in the other direction though, after Doncaster seems typical.

 

[Krokodil]

Here's a living example. Someone complaining because they weren't asked to show their railcard. Do some people really have nothing better to do with their time?

 

[Vinnym]

Travelled on 1133 Birmingham New Street to Liverpool Lime Street yesterday, we had two guards on the train, we were sat at the front of the train and I heard the guard talking to someone in LNW uniform but travelling as a passenger. Stated that she was doing the front two carriages and her colleague was doing the rest of the train. Is this a normal practice?

 

[Lewisham2221]

Here's a living example. Someone complaining because they weren't asked to show their railcard. Do some people really have nothing better to do with their time?

View attachment 163687

"I showed my ticket, but couldn't be a**** to get my railcard out, so the guard carried on checking everyone else's tickets, instead of wasting a load of time waiting for me to find my railcard, which would've meant they wouldn't have time to check tickets through the rest of the train"

 

[greyman42]

I've travelled from Grantham to Leeds/Harrogate quite a few times recently, and I've never been checked once. I have mostly been checked in the other direction though, after Doncaster seems typical.

Perhaps because Doncaster does not have barriers. You usually get checked just after York when heading southbound non stop to London.

 

[Essexman]

Barriers don't stop passengers with Standard Class tickets from sitting in First Class.
Checking of First Class tickets is quite varied.
LNER Train Managers tend to do it soon after departure with those sitting in the wrong class moved on before the catering comes round.
GWR is quite varied on this but some Train Managers are very good, especially on trains from London that call at Oxford which seem to attract both deliberate and accidental interlopers.
EMR First Class hosts check tickets very early on departure, before they serve food (such as it is now).
I have often asked GWR hosts if they want to see my ticket but they never do - hence sometimes people get free drinks before the Train Manager asks them to move.
It would seem sensible for First Class hosts to at least quickly check tickets are First Class but leave railcards and other validity to Train Managers.

 

[The exile]

"I showed my ticket, but couldn't be a**** to get my railcard out, so the guard carried on checking everyone else's tickets, instead of wasting a load of time waiting for me to find my railcard, which would've meant they wouldn't have time to check tickets through the rest of the train"

Why aren’t the apps designed to show ticket and railcard at the same time?

 

[island]

Why aren’t the apps designed to show ticket and railcard at the same time?

Not everyone's Railcard is in an app, let alone the same app as their ticket.

 

[The exile]

Not everyone's Railcard is in an app, let alone the same app as their ticket.

If your railcard is on paper, clearly there is no problem with showing it simultaneously. If it’s on a phone - quite simple “if your app can’t show a railcard simultaneously with a ticket, including one on a different app on the same phone by (say) 31/12/25, you will no longer be permitted to sell rail tickets on it. Over to you”.

 

[Lewisham2221]

Why aren’t the apps designed to show ticket and railcard at the same time?

Dunno, ask the person who designed them. Trainline (I think) at least displays a "Show Railcard" button on railcard discounted tickets displayed on their app. And no reason for people not to do that as soon as the ticket it scanned. Likewise for people who have their railcard in a different app - no reason not to have that app already open and just quickly switch between apps, rather than having to be asked, then huffing and puffing as they scroll up and down, back and forth multiple times through all the apps on their phone before eventually finding and opening it. And even less reason for people with physical ticket and railcard, or physical ticket and digital railcard or vice versa not to present both. At the end of the day, a guard could easily scan another 10+ tickets, often more, in the time it takes people to produce their railcard when prompted - so the guard has to weigh-up whether to thoroughly inspect half of one carriage between stations, or perform a less thorough check but get through more of the train, and they'll never please everyone.

 

[Kite159]

.

Passed through the *gates*

I was slightly miffed; I could have saved a bit by buying an LNER return rather than the Northern Off-Peak Standard (or whatever they call it). Apart from that, I enjoyed my walk up the hill, lunch, and walk back down, so I wasn't too fussed. It was more that I would have expected a ticket check on the Northern service; they were probably waiting until Horsforth, the West Yorkshire boundary station. That happens on TPE sometimes as well, at Huddersfield.

And remember those three stations are quite close together before having the longer gap after Horsforth.

Revenue is only part of the guard's duties, if the rear coach is full & standing they might deem it unsafe for themselves to try and pass through the crowd, especially if they are on a unit where they need to return to the back cab area to do the doors (for example a 150). Some TOCs (like Northern) the guards are paid a small amount per scan, so some might see it more benefit to their pay packet to ignore requests for railcards to scan more tickets

 

[Krokodil]

rather than having to be asked, then huffing and puffing as they scroll up and down, back and forth multiple times through all the apps on their phone before eventually finding and opening it

What really winds me up is when you quote the price of a ticket and get "OK, I'll just transfer some money... I need to connect to the WiFi...".

To which I grumble "you should have done this before boarding". I mean, do these people really turn up at a bus stop, board a bus, and just before swiping the card over the contactless terminal say to the driver "I just need to transfer the money" and spend the next five minutes in the open doorway (because the bus won't leave until all have paid) farting about with their phone?

Worse is the ones who when you ask them for a ticket just proceed to buy it online in front of you. Often with the same faff around WiFi etc. Needless to say, they eventually will have bought an Advance for a following train.