I believe the point has been well made by @LowLevel, EMR RPOs are not RSAS accredited.
BTP said:
They're saying put barriers on the stairs to the platforms. That doesn't block the ROW except if you do it on P7.
Indeed, 7 would need some thought.
There’s a good amount of room at the bottom of the stairs in the areas between 1/3 and 4/6 - surely enough to allow the barriers to be distanced from the steps so people don’t need to queue on the steps, while still not blocking platform access between 1/3 or 4/6..
Demonstrating what I said - that the railway would rather inconvenience paying customers than do the job properly. Actually you make an interesting point because each time I used Nottingham during the previous trial (lunchtime / early-mid afternoon on every occasion) the main concourse barriers were open, totally defeating the objective EMR was trying to achieve while managing to inconvenience paying customers.
Or the sort who will sit still if the guard comes through asking 'tickets from X, Y, Z' or 'any unchecked tickets' knowing the guard will likely pass them by.
Indeed I've had a few times them just go past as I've had my headphones in, although alot of the time I do stop them anyway to remind them I am a ramp requiring customer, maybe because I engage they think I'm on the level,
Surely some of the flack should go to the council for implementing a non compatible ticket scheme, maybe they should pay for the barriers both at the main and secondary exits that can read the Robin Hood chips,
Where I believe some confusion may have arisen is that Amulet (a security contractor) Travel Safe Officers (EMR's private security guards who work on stations, trains and depots, who have no revenue training or work) have in many cases undertaken the training to RSAS standards, but have not been accredited and therefore can't work to those standards. Whether they'll be accredited at some point I don't know.
This really is the obvious solution.
Yes, and so can the British Transport Police, here is what they say.
Section 5(2) of the Regulation Of Railways Act 1889 gives officers of the railway authority to detain persons they believe are travelling or has travelled without a ticket.
By that logic I should just start shoplifting, ultimately 2 wrongs don't make a right, we shall see how take 2 of this goes, but letting people get away with things because it's the "status quo" would definitely sink alot of business, although they even have barriers by the checkouts in Morrisons now as the public can't be trusted, the alternative is communicator totems to the main gateline maybe the halfway house, hopefully this sting with pressure from local stakeholders gets the right thing done as 80k captured in a 3 week window is eye-watering,
All of the above says absolutely nothing, and is fundamentally incorrect, because as the BTP's own page says, the staff members in question are not RSAS accredited, and are subject to a hands off policy.
It doesn't say that, they just aren't listed, probably because it was the Stagecoach name when the accreditation scheme began and operators change names so frequently. BTP aren't exactly fast at communicating things.
Travel Safe Officers are not Customer Service Officers (dispatch staff or platform staff) or Customer Welcome Hosts (gateline hosts) who are station staff. They are the guys who are dressed in black with tactical vests with "EMR Travel Safe Officer" in purple on the back. They are effectively private security and they work at hub stations and on board trains. As I mentioned, they have RSAS training, but haven't been accredited so can't use it.
It only gives them the authority to detain if the passenger has actually committed the "three fails" (failure to produce a valid ticket, failure to pay the fare, and failure to provide name & address).
It's not the Travel Safe Officers I was referring to. I am not au fait with their powers, so wouldn't dream of saying they are accredited when I am not sure what they are qualified in. I was referring to Revenue Protection Officers, who work alongside the British Transport Police and wear tactical vests that were blue but are now black.
In which case they are indeed RPOs (as it happens, I know them all and have worked with them for years - indeed I worked several trains that were subject to that very operation - the college kids at Sutton trying to climb over the top of the shelter to get around the barrier and being dragged off by the police was a sight to see) and don't have any powers of removal they are permitted to use - as well as providing backup and pursuing their own goals (largely disrupting things like drug trafficking) that is part of the reason they have the police officers with them - if removal is required they can jump in and do it.
The “culture of pay on board” comes from many nearby stations (E.g. Netherfield, Radcliffe, Bottesford etc.) lacking any facility to buy a ticket until machines were installed in recent times (roughly a year ago?). Many passengers will have had the previous experience of never having the opportunity to buy a ticket and never being checked. Previously many generally honest folk travelled free, as well as the pre-meditated fare evaders. Closing the bridge access from the platforms feels inevitable/sensible to me, however, there are things that could be done to mitigate the impact and EMR (or whatever they’re called) should genuinely engage in this.
My observations and comments may not go down too well with some people but….
I've seen passengers run to the front end of the train at Radcliffe, expecting not to pay, only to be met by an assistant senior Conductor and duly charged their fare. The look of disappointment on their faces was quite something!
That is the most sensible approach - write to EMR, write to MPs, write to councillors etc with your thoughts and concerns.
As do I, but would you be checked if you boarded at Beeston, Carlton, Burton Joyce etc.? And do you travel on the busy all Station stopping trains on those routes? I've not, but it's hard to see a guard reaching all passengers while stopping very frequently.
It's true I do always start from Nottingham, and I'm usually returning from major stations like Derby, but there do seem to be quite a lot of diligent guards who re-check after every or most stations on the stopping trains I use most, particularly the Matlock services.
You are correct. I always find EMR staff very diligent at checking tickets on all of these trains. That’s why I can’t understand why I’m so rarely getting my ticket checked on the Robin Hood Line in recent years.
